


A Life Less Frightening

by DontBeJelly



Series: Dragons Were Never Dinosaurs [3]
Category: Power Rangers (2017), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: ....this took me forever to get to and i'm sorry?, Background Kim/Trini, But here we go!, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-07-02 23:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15806694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontBeJelly/pseuds/DontBeJelly
Summary: Green Ranger Maggie is back in action!Maggie's life has never been better: she has her powers, her friends, a successful career, and a woman who knows her secrets and still loves her. Sure, she's still dealing with the fallout of an invasion and ripping open an eons-long conspiracy, but she can handle it with her found family.What Maggie is unsure of, however, is exactly how Alex will react when the reputation of the Milky Way's Green Rangers becomes reality.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So. After putting almost 73k into part 2, I got kinda worn out. Then 3x05 happened and I was Bitter, and also daunted by the idea of writing not just Maggie but also Power Rangers into everything. Now, however, I'm feeling a lot more determined than I was when I finished part 2 last November.  
> And, you know, Power Rangers makes everything better.

Maggie felt the dry earth beneath her give through her armor. She heaved in air and kept her eyes open even if she wanted to wince and brace for impact. Her opponent stepped back and tilted her head, a question in her eyes. Maggie took a moment to think, then shook her head negatively. She took Kara’s help up from the cracked ground. “Yeah, that hurt a bit more.”

Kara laughed as they headed back to Alex and the tent of equipment. “You’re okay, though, right?”

Maggie’s face mask faded away as she smiled. “I’m fine. Won’t even bruise.”

“Great! Hey, do you think maybe your team would up to a group session? One on one fights I can handle, but I think -someone- wouldn’t mind if I knew how to handle multiple opponents.”

Alex gave her sister a look. “There’s nothing wrong with being prepared.” She eyed a beeping laptop. “That last throw might have registered on the Richter Scale.”

“I think I’m gonna be proud that it took that much effort to toss me,” Maggie said. “Unless you’re implying I should lay off the tiramisu?”

Alex rolled her eyes. “My wallet would you like you to lay off the tiramisu.” She smirked. “Though, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised a cop likes pastries.”

Kara laughed, and Maggie felt her armor fade away as she stepped up to Alex. “Says the stereotypical dark color wearing jurisdiction thief.”

“Federal property NEVER goes to the local PD and you -know- this, Sawyer.” Alex couldn’t keep her face serious for more than a moment after speaking, though.

Maggie looked over at Kara. “Notice how she’s not protesting the dark colors comment?”

“That’s because she’s never well and truly left behind her punk rock phase,” Kara teased.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Alex said. “At least my bands still put out music.”

Kara gasped, hand over her heart. Before the conversation could de-evolve further, their comms chirped.

“Sounds like you three are done out there?” Lucy asked, amusement clear in her voice. “Do you wanna bring back the gear or start a dance-off?”

Maggie looked at the equipment Alex had been using to measure the fight. “I think I’d rather have a dance off. Kara?”

She nodded eagerly. “Definitely.”

“Well, Agent Danvers,” Lucy said, “since you’re the only one I can legally order around…”

“Shut up, Lane,” Alex said, shaking her head. “There’s nothing legal about how you wanted to finish that sentence.”

“Implications aren't admissible in a court of law,” Lucy shot back.

Alex didn’t miss a beat as she started to save and shut down programs. “No, but they’re apparently enough to convict someone of treason.”

Maggie decided to let Alex and Lucy go back and forth instead of playing mediator. She knew it was all fun and games for them, and it was hilarious. Lucy hadn’t known Alex much longer than Maggie, but Lucy also had easier access to Kara. It was a real treat when Kara and Lucy started to plot together; it had led to a conference call with Cat Grant of all people to discuss how, exactly, they could pull off a scheme on Lois. Alex had drunkenly blamed James for bringing Lucy into their lives and encouraging a more friendly relationship between Kara and Cat. Maggie simply spent the hour taking notes.

After the SUV was packed up with a burst of super-speed, Kara flew off to edit her latest article. Maggie knew Kara would likely show up later that night with more questions about Power Rangers. Kara had binge-watched the fall of Krypton before going through the planet’s historical events as told by Power Rangers. For the past week, Kara had eaten dinner with Maggie and Alex and asked every question that occurred to her. Maggie didn’t mind, but she had a feeling she was going to have to ask Kara for a night of privacy soon. Alex didn’t hate that Kara was around all the time, and seemed relieved by Kara’s presence. The sudden proposal, however, was barely a week before and they had been running themselves ragged to help repair the city. J’onn had ordered the desert exercise to get them out of the war-zone.

“Even relief workers take a break,” he had said when they tried to protest. “If you want to stay productive, go record some data I can apply to future threat assessments.”

Maggie had been a bit paranoid about a government agency having any usable data on her Power Ranger skills. Alpha and Billy made sure to have a digital hook in all files on Maggie. They would be able to track where the data went, on the chance someone did something stupid.

“How are you truly feeling, Sawyer?” Lucy asked once the SUV was heading back to base.

Maggie figured Kara’s comm was either off or taken out. “I’m honestly okay. Kara didn’t hold back much with that last spar, but the armor is meant to handle a lot more than her.”

“I wasn’t asking about the armor,” Lucy pointed out. “I do have a phone number for someone who can bully you into a medical setting, don’t make me use it.”

Maggie looked over at Alex and locked eyes with her. “Kara didn’t hurt me. I promise.”

Alex held her eyes for a moment, then looked back to the dirt road. “I believe her.”

“Okay,” Lucy said, sighing. “Sorry, Maggie. I’m just used to pretty much every agent never admitting to being hurt, especially by Supergirl. Including your fiance. I haven’t figured out if it’s pride or just plain not wanting to hurt Kara’s feelings.”

“I honestly don’t want Kara mother-henning me,” Alex said. “She’s gotten unbearable ever since she learned about the DEO.”

“You do forget your helmet a lot,” Lucy pointed out. “Maybe stop doing that?”

“Real badasses wear safety gear,” Maggie agreed.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Yes, fine, helmet, I know.”

Once underground, Maggie helped haul in gear. Alex had to write a report on the data, but that could happen after lunch. Maggie automatically got a regular portion of food from the mess hall; her secret was still in full effect, and she didn’t want to give herself away by overeating. Once they were both done eating, however, Alex grabbed a meal to go before they returned to Alex’s former office. The moment Maggie sat down, Alex dropped the box of food in front of her.

“Eat,” Alex ordered. “I know now your metabolism is higher than average.”

Maggie tried to fight back her blush. “Thanks, Alex.”

“I’m going to be making sure you eat more until you start to do it for yourself.” Alex took a seat and started to get to work. “I know hiding your needs is second nature. Kara’s done it her entire time on Earth, and I had to learn when I joined the DEO. It’s going to get confusing, being able to open up around us but not in public or at work. But I’m here to help you as much as you’ve helped me.”

Maggie stared at Alex for a long time. “I don’t deserve you.”

Alex shook her head. “If this was a matter of what we deserved or not… No, that doesn’t matter. We love each other. That’s what matters.”

Maggie left the food on the table and got up to hug her fiance. “You’re amazing.”

“So are you.” Alex held her for a few minutes, and Maggie soaked it up.

Maggie finally pulled away so they could get to work. Alex worked on collecting the day’s data into a format a less specialized agent could decipher. Maggie ate her second meal and dealt with her digital paperwork. Both the DEO and the NCPD wanted reports from her; J’onn told her to take her time, so she was mostly focusing on what she could tell the NCPD. She knew what details she was and was not allowed to share.

At four o’clock, Lucy arrived. “Finish up, nerds. J’onn’s banning you both from all DEO grounds.”

“Aren’t you co-director?” Alex asked, still focused on her screen. “Can’t you-”

“No,” Lucy interrupted. “Because I agreed with him. The two of you took one day off after the invasion, and only because medical made you. You've worked the last seven days, and you’ve both put in overtime. HR in both departments don’t want the extra paperwork.”

Maggie decided she wanted to cuddle Alex more than she wanted to look at a computer screen. “Sometimes I think I hate how my Captain and your Director can agree on some things, Alex.”

“Sometimes I just hate my Director.” Alex started clicking around to save information. “One more than the other, most days.”

Lucy just grinned. “Can’t hate me unless you’re paying attention to what I’m doing. And I’ve yet to suspend you for insubordination.”

“Ugh, don’t threaten me with days off.” Alex stood and stretched, her back cracking. “Don’t you have rookies to terrorize?”

“Did that today.” Lucy pouted. “I maybe have to skip a few days; they’re a little too afraid of me.”

Alex snorted. “You did toss a six foot five Marine into a wall.”

“It would’ve been completely unavoidable if the insults were just against the Army.” She shrugged. “That, I get, honestly. The fact things got sexist…”

Maggie stood and shut the laptop she was using. “Do you and Vasquez want to join us for dinner? Kara will be there, too.”

“I’ll double check,” Lucy said, looking thoughtful, “but I’m pretty sure the answer is yes. We’ll bring dessert.”

Lucy headed back to the control center while Maggie and Alex headed to the surface. They had ridden their bikes to the base to both enjoy the clear day and so Maggie could have a proper first impression. The desert base had heard enough rumors about the girlfriend of Agent “Badass” Danvers that Alex wanted to make sure Maggie lived up to the reputation. Taking a bunch of equipment out with Supergirl probably only fanned the flames.

Once on the road back to the city, they let their motorcycles breathe. The open sky, the feel of air whipping around her, and Alex at her side was just enough to allow calm contentment spread through Maggie. She slowed down a bit to enjoy the moment of peace for a bit longer. Alex didn’t look over at her, just matched pace. There was no traffic to worry about on the access road to the base. For a brief time, everything was simple.

The highway wasn’t too busy, but they still sped back up to keep pace with the vehicles around them. They switched the radios on between their helmets and debated picking up dinner or cooking it. Maggie was willing to cook, but Alex wanted food more immediately. They agreed to grab Alex a snack. Maggie had a feeling it was also an attempt to feed her again.

Then the city came into view.

National City was going to take months to recover. The scars of the invasion were evident even from a distance; buildings were missing large chunks of their facades, black blast burns kept sunlight from reflecting off windows. On the surface streets, whole side roads were used to store debris until it was hauled away. Smaller businesses had signs up claiming an unknown re-open date. Fortunately, most of the damage was sustained in the downtown area with fewer residences.

Maggie wasn’t all that surprised when Alex emerged from a small shop with three boxes of pot stickers. “Better not let Kara know you managed to have one whole box to yourself.”

Alex scoffed as they headed for her apartment. “She has a job. She can buy her own potstickers.”

Maggie started making pasta when they got to the apartment and tasked Alex with getting a salad ready. Alex pointedly dropped a box of pot stickers in front of Maggie. There was no argument from Maggie, even if she hadn’t exerted so much energy sparring Kara to need the extra food. The second serving of lunch had done most of the work. But, still, she wasn’t going to stop Alex from taking care of her.

Kara texted, asking if she could head over early. Her arrival came with no real greeting besides, “Ohhh, potstickers!” Only when she threw her box away did she notice the evidence of the other two cartons. “The two of you are getting sneaky.”

“No,” Alex said, “we’re getting smart.”

“No food is safe in your vicinity,” Maggie pointed out. “Not even undercooked noodles.” She tapped the wooden spoon against Kara’s reaching hand.

“It’s not like I’ll get sick,” Kara protested. She moved to the cabinets with the dishes and started to set the table. “Hey, Maggie, about Power Coins…”

“Yes?” Maggie’s hand unconsciously twitched, wanting to double check on her coin in her pocket.

“What would’ve happened to Krypton’s?” Kara didn’t sound as depressed when she asked, but there was still sadness in her voice.

Maggie thought about it but decided she couldn’t come up with anything viable that would’ve been comforting. “I honestly don’t know. Zordon and his team were able to bring their coins to Earth because Eltar still existed and Earth didn’t have any. Eltar eventually got new coins when the Power Rangers were needed again. I'll look into it if you want.”

Kara shook her head. “No, it’s fine. You’ve already said two Rangers can’t be active at the same time. I think I just want Aunt Astra to be more… I don’t know, driven by something else?”

“I wish I could tell you why she never sought us out,” Maggie said, not for the first time.

“I honestly don’t know if a General would be able to take a bunch of high school kids seriously,” Alex pointed out. “Especially you guys.”

Maggie feigned outrage. “Excuse you, while you were stuck in the closet, I was studying the blade.”

Kara held up her hand for a high five, infinitely pleased by the use of a meme in real life. “And, Alex, we did kinda save Midvale from police corruption when we were in high school.”

“I haven’t heard that story,” Maggie said, looking over at the door as it opened.

Lucy and Vas entered, and Vas made a point of locking the door behind them.

“Story?” Lucy asked. “Does it involve embarrassing Alex?”

Alex sighed. “Why am I friends with you?”

“No one else puts up with your assholery bullshit.”

“I’m not an asshole!”

Lucy waited for a beat. “Not gonna deny the bullshit?”

Alex shrugged. “I honestly can’t argue that one.”

“Victory isn’t so sweet unless I can fight for it.” Lucy pouted. “Anyway. Story?”

“Alex and I found out the local sheriff was dirty and we totally busted him.” Kara grinned. “Literally, too.”

Alex raised her hand. “I would like it known that I’m NOT the one that assaulted a police officer.”

Maggie smirked and said nothing, just looked over at Alex. She wouldn’t tease Alex in front of Kara; Lucy and Vas expected it, but Maggie liked to respect Kara’s discomfort with Alex’s sex life. Fortunately, Kara had her back to Maggie and Alex only turned a slight shade of pink.

“He was going to shoot you!” Kara flung her arms out. “Of course I was gonna send him into a wall.”

“Please, for the love of my sanity,” Vas said, “start from the beginning.”

Alex started to load salad into bowls. “So, I found out one of my friends was in a relationship with a teacher. Meanwhile, Kara was nerding out with a boy named Kenny...”

Maggie would’ve found the back and forth storytelling annoying if it were anyone but Kara and Alex. The two of them managed to keep the story moving forward, though, and gave their points of view without repeating what the other had just said. By the end of it, Lucy had dubbed the sisters Veronica Mars and Nancy Drew. Maggie perked up when Alex agreed to the Veronica Mars moniker.

“Does this mean we can name our first dog Backup instead?” Maggie didn’t care how whiny she sounded. Anything was better than Gertrude.

Alex considered her for a moment. “Depends on the breed.”

Maggie nodded. “Agreed.” Naming something small ‘Backup’ would be silly and pointless.

When dinner was over and the dishes cleaned, Maggie locked the door behind their guests and flopped face down on the couch. Alex sat next to her head and ran her fingers through Maggie’s hair. Melting into the couch was a lousy idea this late in the night, but Maggie didn’t care. Everything felt soft and calm. She hadn’t had much of that in a while.

“How are you holding up?” Alex asked.

Maggie sighed and shifted to her side, leaning against the back of the couch. Alex’s hand followed her hair, and Maggie wished she could purr. “Better now that recovery is more organized.”

Alex hummed. “J’onn won’t let me work another seven days straight again for a bit. I’m willing to bet my bike that your captain will force leave on you. We could make plans to get out of the city for a few days.”

Maggie wanted to feel sad about leaving when there was still work to do. But she was tired of twelve hour days; eight on the streets and four more dealing with alien Ranger teams interested in the Psycho Ranger. “I know a bed and breakfast up the coast. Four-hour ride. I like to go there once a year to get away from the city.” For all her small town experience had been racist, homophobic, and miserable until Angel Grove, she missed the slow pace of life sometimes.

“I like this plan.” Alex stood. “C’mon. I know you want a shower, and we have a real bed.”

Magie pouted. “But comfy.”

Alex laughed and tugged on Maggie’s hand. “You’ll be more comfortable clean and holding me.”

Honestly, there was no argument against that. Maggie got to her feet and shed her clothes on the way to the bathroom. Under the hot water of the shower, her brain turned off. All that mattered was getting the sweat and dust of the day off her skin and out of her hair. Alex joined her, but they didn’t have the energy for anything more than getting clean. The idea of getting to sleep in was far more alluring than anything else.

Hair dried and teeth brushed, Maggie sprawled on the bed, half on the blankets and half hanging off the edge. Alex called her hopeless, shoving and tugging Maggie as necessary. Once Alex was next to her, the sheet settling over them, Maggie reached out and pulled her close.

“Thank you, Alex. Love you.”

Alex pressed a kiss to Maggie’s hair. “Love you, too.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that the title of this fic is based off the Rise Against song by the same name.

Maggie grinned when the three beams of light in front of them became the team’s favorite allies. The moment Karone was solid, Maggie and Zack were tackling her in a hug.

“I don’t know how I feel about my sister being greeted so enthusiastically,” Andros drawled from where he was fist bumping Billy and Jason.

Karone settled in Zack’s arms and smirked at her brother. “I do believe the term is, “grossed out.”

Zack may have kept his hands on Karone’s hips, but his leer was anything but innocent. Maggie wrapped an arm around one of Karone’s and laced their fingers together.

Andros sighed and shook his head. “Maggie, I know you have a fiance now.”

Maggie shrugged. “You don’t know if she likes making new friends in bed.”

“You greens are so corruptive,” Zhane said with mock disappointment.

“We’re just more fun,” Maggie taunted, leading Karone away by the hand.

“Are you calling me boring?!” Zhane called after her.

Zack, Karone, and Maggie laughed as they vanished around a corner. Karone shared the latest rumors and updates as they headed towards the ship’s brig. The others trailed behind them, catching up as well. When they reached the doors, Karone grew quiet and serious.

“He doesn’t ever talk,” Zack said. “You don’t have to worry about him saying anything to you.”

Karone shook her head. “No, it’s not that. I just never expected the Ranger Corps to have this kind of problem.” She glanced back at their teammates as they meandered down the hall. “I wonder if these Phantoms would’ve gone after Andros if you hadn’t pulled him back from the edge.”

Maggie squeezed Karone’s hand. “We’ll never have to find out.”

Karone took a deep breath and nodded. “Have I thanked you guys for that today?”

“Not today,” Zack said, his friendly demeanor shifting to lecherous as Andros and Zhane drew closer. “But I’m sure we can think of a proper thank you.”

Andros swiped at Zack’s head. “Keep it up, and the Phantom Rangers will be the least of your worries.”

Zack scoffed. “Trini’s more terrifying than you.”

Jason shoved his way to the door before the conversation could devolve again. He pressed his palm to the lock and led the way into the brig. One cell of the ten was lit, and the Phantom Ranger lay on the floor, hands laced over his stomach. The Rangers went unacknowledged. Still, Zhane and Andros kept Karone firmly between them.

“Has the Council come to a decision?” Andros asked.

“Not yet,” Billy said. “Even if we release him without his gear, he’ll just get his hands on more. Can’t place him on a clean-up crew since we only know when Phantoms are on their way when they drop out of hyperspace, and he could be too easily rescued.”

Kim crossed her arms. “Right now the debate is between prison and execution. With an unknown number of Phantoms out there, they could overrun a prison. But since there’s no residual energy on his weapons, no Ranger deaths can be linked to him.”

“There are those on the Council who believe execution is too harsh,” Trini said, obviously disagreeing with the sentiment. “We annihilate every other threat, but because this asshole CHOSE to be a dick, he might get to live.”

Karone shrugged. “Accidents happen, and this ship is older than a few civilizations. Under so much rock, in a seismically active area...”

Maggie wasn’t surprised by the suggestion. Karone’s time as an evil empress made her a little less forgiving than most Rangers. “And on that note, wanna go play with Ranger-killing toys?”

“Yes,” Karone said, nodding eagerly. “I may no longer have the armies and fleet, but I’ve never managed to shake Astronema’s more destructive habits.”

“Yeah, our kitchen can attest to that,” Andros muttered.

Karone socked her twin in the arm but otherwise didn’t protest the statement.

“There’s one of those in every family,” Jason said. “For mine, I’m it.”

“This dude can’t even roast a marshmallow after, like, twelve years,” Zack said as they headed for the door. “I finally asked his parents, and his kid sister has been making his smores since she could be trusted with a burning stick.”

“Not even my mom could teach him how to boil eggs,” Billy said, “and she’s the most patient of all our parents.”

Zhane clapped Jason on the shoulder. “That’s shameful.”

Jason shrugged. “It means I can get everyone else to cook for me.”

Maggie laughed at the outrage on Kim and Trini’s faces; they had been the ones to invite Jason over the most often over the years, knowing he couldn’t be trusted to fend for himself. As the doors to the brig slid closed behind her, something in her shoulders loosened and relaxed. Soon the Phantom would be off her ship, and she could go back to pretending Phantoms were just the Ranger Corps boogieman.

~*~

“Who did you meet with today?” Alex asked as they sat on the couch with dinner.

Maggie took a sip of her water, knowing she was about to go off on a tangent. “Our favorite Ranger allies, the Kerovans of KO-35. Andros, Zhane, and Karone make our origin story look sane.”

“So they didn’t pick up strange glass rocks in a mining accident they were lucky to live through?” Alex was never going to let Maggie live down how they all became Power Rangers by chance.

“Exactly.” Maggie launched into the tale with only brief pauses to savor the meatloaf they had made for dinner. “Karone was kidnapped when she and Andros were children. She was raised to be an empress of evil by the name of Astronema. He was given a chance to be a Power Ranger with his best friend, Zhane.”

Alex gave her an incredulous look. “Please don’t tell me this is about to get Sci-Fi channel weird.”

“Karone returned twelve years later on her quest to rule that part of the galaxy,” Maggie said, grinning. “ _After_  she stopped to take the Ranger Corps’ oldest functioning AI here on Earth.”

“So you went after her.” Alex wasn’t at all surprised or impressed.

Maggie nodded. “Alpha’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole. And, you know, we couldn’t let her have the knowledge he can access.”

“I’m guessing Andros and Karone didn’t recognize each other?” Alex shifted to settle deeper into the corner of the couch.

“Not at all.” Maggie took a quick bite. “One thing they did have in common were their family pendants. Andros, being a dense idiot at this point, though Astronema had taken the crest from his sister. To his credit, KO-35 hadn’t seen too many evil Rangers in their more recent history, so it didn’t cross his mind that maybe Astronema was Karone.”

“Where do you come in?” Alex asked.

“About a week after Astronema put Zhane in a coma. Andros had to cryo-freeze him. The rest of his team abandoned ship after that; they didn’t want to die.”

Alex frowned. “How did they even become Rangers if they weren’t willing to do everything they could for their planet?”

Maggie took her time with her last bite, carefully turning over the right words in her mind. “Being a Ranger isn’t about being willing to die. Power Rangers tend to be the most optimistic, self-confident, and caring bastards you’ll ever meet. Andros’ team had all of that, but they also had something else: pride. They saw being a Power Ranger as a reward for being the best in their fields. They didn’t understand the Grid chose because they were hard-working, committed people.”

“So when it came down to the wire,” Alex said, “they turned tail and ran. They couldn’t pretend it was a reward anymore.”

“Yeah. Andros wasn’t in a good place when we arrived, and he didn’t trust us easily. As far as he was concerned, we abandoned our planet for Alpha.” Maggie shrugged. “It takes about three days to travel between here and there, and our sensors can pick up a threat two weeks out. Anyone who can beat that time frame could probably do us a lot more harm than usual.”

Alex didn’t like that idea. “Did anything happen?”

Maggie shook her head. “No. But the rumor mill probably thought we kicked Astronema off Earth, instead of her taking what she wanted and leaving. Earth’s too far out of the way for most megalomaniacs.”

“Perk of being on the edge of the galaxy, I guess.” Alex put her empty plate on the coffee table. “So how did Andros learn to trust you?”

“We could use his planet’s powers.” Maggie made a face. “Well, Billy, Zack, Kim, and Trini could. Jason had to twiddle his thumbs since Andros is the Red Ranger. KO-35 doesn’t have Green Powers.”

“Colors matter?”

“Oh, yeah.” Maggie took a deep breath. “Reds are the reckless inspiring speech gurus. Never dare a Red to do anything, ever. They’re great for pep-talks, though, and the best Reds never sound condescending. Blacks tend to be the second in command; they challenge the Red’s impulsive ideas and rally the team after a Red who’s gone and done a Stupid Thing. Blues are the brains of the operation and know all the facts. Pinks are the heart and soul of the team, the most empathetic and supportive. Yellows go with their gut and center everyone; they’re the ones who work through team disagreements.”

“And Greens?” Alex prompted when Maggie didn’t continue.

Maggie grinned. “You’ve met me.” She didn’t want to get into _why_  KO-35 didn’t have a Green; it involved relating everything back to how Rita helped perpetuate a stereotype. Maggie hated giving the woman any attention; the less Rita was spoken and thought of, the quicker she would fade from memory.

“Maggie.” Alex was giving her a look that said she expected Maggie to quit deflecting.

“We Greens….we remind the team there are personal things we need to keep close. Everyone thinks Power Rangers are these high and mighty defenders of life, who protect worlds because it’s right. NONE of us are like that. Green Rangers remind the team of the individuals we’re protecting; that we have someone waiting for us at home.”

Alex opened her arms up, and Maggie was quick to set her plate down and lean into the embrace. Maggie remembered falling into many different arms after battles for the planet. Every time, she was grateful she didn’t have to return to an empty home. But Alex was different. Maybe it was because Alex understood best out of all of Maggie’s girlfriends. Whatever it was, Maggie could relax with Alex and be held instead of doing the holding.

“So what did you and Jason do while everyone was doing the hard work?” Alex asked after a few minutes.

Maggie snorted. “Jason was doing a lot to help Andros deal with the abandonment of his team and Zhane’s uncertain recovery. I was busy being very gay and hopeless.”

“Margaret Sawyer,” Alex said, appalled, “were you learning of the biological differences between humans and Kerovans?”

“Nothing nearly so fun,” Maggie drawled. “We had no idea Astronema was great at disguising herself. The moment she learned there was a Green Ranger with no active powers, she got it in her head to change that.”

Alex shifted to stare at her. “Did you get seduced by someone looking to kill you?”

“She wanted to show me around!” Maggie protested. “She knew all this history about the planet, and she’s hot-”

“Whoa, present tense?” Alex teased.

“As a Ranger, Karone has to keep in shape like the rest of us.” Maggie shrugged. “It’s a good shape.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re so gay.”

“I am,” Maggie agreed, a little hopeless. “Maybe I’ll introduce you so that you can be as gay as me.”

“Anyway,” Alex said, poking Maggie in the side, “what happened next?”

Maggie finished the tale while she cleaned up their dishes and secured the apartment. Yanking Karone out of the twisted net of evil hadn’t been easy, but it worked. They had even healed Zhane with Alpha’s help. The victory at KO-35 cemented the Earth Rangers as a team of excellence. Other Rangers began to contact them for collaboration. It wasn’t all battles and fighting, but also a combination of minds and new points of view.

“What about you, Danvers?” Maggie asked as she returned with small servings of the tiramisu Alex had made. Cooking wasn’t Alex’s strong suit, but baking was something she could do with her eyes closed. “Any other Veronica Mars adventures?”

Alex shook her head as she took her plate. “Nothing as interesting as you being a Power Ranger.”

“Hey, c’mon now.” She took a seat close to Alex and nudged her. “Everything about you is interesting, and I wanna hear all of it.” Seeing the disbelieving look on Alex’s face, Maggie grew serious. “Alex, I don’t say shit just to make you feel better, you know that.”

“I know. Sorry.” She sliced up her tiramisu into smaller chunks. “I just spent a lot of time trying to keep me and Kara from standing out in any way. It meant not doing a lot of things other teenagers might have.”

Maggie felt a little sorry for teenager Alex, having to stay in control instead of taking those years to act out and figure out who she was. All that attitude suppression probably contributed to Agent Danvers’ risky stunts. “Tell me about the surfboard under the bed?”

Alex frowned at her. “You don’t like the ocean.”

“I like the ocean just fine,” Maggie said. “I just don’t like being in it because that’s where the sharks live.”

Alex shook her head in exasperation. “We’re going to have to arrange another beach party. So, before Kara showed up, I was working my way up the ranks of a junior surf competition…”

Maggie listened intently, wanting to know everything. There was a reason Alex still carried the surfboard through her life, though Maggie had never known Alex to surf since their meeting. As soon as National City’s clean up was further along, and the Phantom Ranger dealt with, Maggie would arrange a beach party. Alex could take her board out, and all of them could relax for a few hours. Maggie might even let herself be convinced to learn how to surf. With Alex as a teacher, Maggie figured she could win a world championship with a year.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoooops forgot to post this yesterday morning XD

Maggie felt her heart rate pick up when her phone beeped six tones. The Mirinoi Rangers weren’t due for another hour, and Alpha wouldn’t use the emergency beacon if they had arrived early. Alex looked over at her when Maggie pulled away from the pool table.

“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked quietly, not wanting to grab Lucy’s attention from her shot.

“Three Phantom Rangers have entered the atmosphere,” Alpha said. “Their trajectory has them arriving here in less than a minute.”

“Give me ten seconds to get clear.” Maggie hung up and went right up to Alex’s side to avoid being overheard. “There’s about to be a jailbreak.”

Alex squeezed her hands. “Go. Be careful.”

Maggie kissed her briefly and jogged out of the bar. She was teleported away the moment she was free of witnesses. She landed just inside the main door alongside Billy and Jason. Trini and Kim arrived behind them. Their armor covered them as the hatch rolled open.

The three Phantoms opened fire the moment the Rangers were revealed. Zack teleported in behind the intruders and knocked two Phantoms off their feet. One of the Phantoms on the ground rolled to aim at Zack. While he was dodging out of the way, the other downed Phantom pulled the pin on a sophisticated looking grenade.

Maggie felt her stomach drop as her powers were sundered from her once again. This time her team suffered with her. They all froze in shock. Then horror swept through them.

The Phantom left standing focused on Zack. Though Zack tried to get away, the sudden weakness, uneven terrain, and other Phantoms meant he hit the ground hard. Maggie didn’t hear the sickening crack of a skull on rock often. Bile rose in her throat as she rushed forward, knowing it was pointless. The Phantom was standing over Zack, and none of them could move fast enough.

Five beams of light landed amongst them. The Yellow and Red Mirinoi Rangers were nearly on top of Zack. Their Quasar Sabers glowed as they cut into Zack’s attacker. The Blue Ranger pinned one of the Phantoms to the ground with his Saber at her neck.

The remaining downed Phantom pushed up onto his knees and shot at the Pink and Black Mirinoi Rangers. Their armor flickered out of existence as the rest of the team neutralized the threat.

Zack, Kendrix, and Damon were teleported to the Grid room to jumpstart their reconnection to their powers. Maggie’s career instincts made her move towards the Phantoms to disarm and secure them.

“Trini, Billy, go help Zack,” Jason ordered. “Leo, you’re the best bet for your teammates inside.”

The other Red Ranger nodded and followed Trini and Billy into the ship. The remaining Rangers hauled the Phantoms and their gear inside, separating the people within the armor from anything that could be used as a weapon. The Phantom they already had in custody looked surprised by the arrival of those like him.

Maggie hadn’t questioned the idea of the first Phantom being rescued, but seeing his confusion, she wondered if the was a rescue or clean up. She wouldn’t put it past other Phantoms to kill one of their own to protect themselves.

Once the brig was secure, they ran to the Grid room.

Zack was unconscious on his pedestal, wrapped in his armor. Trini and Billy were morphed as well and sitting near Zack’s feet. It wasn’t hard for Maggie to reconnect a second time around, though Kim and Jason had to focus. Kendrix and Damon managed to reconnect, but they couldn’t access their armor.

“You will need to return to your home planet,” Zordon said. “Earth’s Zeo Crystal will prioritize it’s Rangers over you.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner,” Kendrix said, her hand drifting over one of Zack’s. “Will he heal?”

“It will take a week or so,” Alpha said, “but he will recover completely.”

“You got here just in time,” Kim said, squeezing the shoulder of her fellow Pink Ranger.

Trini nodded in agreement as she nudged Mya in the shoulder. “Zack’s gonna live, that’s all that matters.”

“Let’s hope this incident forces the Council to come to a decision,” Leo said. He teleported his team up to their ship.

“Do the Phantoms have to stay here?” Billy asked. “Can’t we just send them off to Eltar until they’re judged?”

“Transporting them through open, unguarded space is a risk that outweighs the reward,” Zordon said. “Here on Earth, you’re able to recover from attacks.”

“I don’t know how many times we should be doing this,” Maggie said as she sat at the end of Zack’s pedestal. “I feel sunburned, like I’ve been overcooked.”

“Same,” Trini said, sitting next to Maggie and leaning on her.

“This time all of you had to reconnect to the Grid on your own,” Alpha said. “Without others to regulate the energy flow, you experienced more raw power.”

“We can discuss a solution in the morning,” Zordon said. “Go home and rest.”

“I’ll stay here with Zack until he wakes,” Jason said.

Billy volunteered to keep him company. Before Maggie could offer, Kim and Trini were hauling her up and away from the boys. They didn’t reach the door before the ship’s proximity alarms went off.

“What now?” Trini demanded as they faced the swirling Morphin’ Grid.

“The Machine Empire has returned,” Alpha said, none too happy to announce the news.

Maggie shivered and looked over at Jason. Their sleep was still haunted by the memories of the alien gladiator arena.

“The energy signal indicates it’s only Prince Gasket,” Zordon said. “The army he has with him, however, is an invasion fleet.”

“Do you think Gasket’s mad we exposed his plans to overthrow his parents?” Kim asked. “I think he might be mad about that.”

“It only took him five years to return,” Maggie muttered.

“He -did- have to fly back from his home galaxy,” Billy pointed out.

“How long do we have?” Jason asked.

“Four days,” Alpha said with false cheer.

“This is why I like you, Alpha,” Trini said, grinning. “You are such a sadist.”

“You say the nicest things, Master Trini.” The title reinforced the fact that it was time to prepare for battle.

Maggie sighed. “And Zack needs a week to heal.”

“Uh, guys,” Billy said, focusing on the part of the Grid directly in front of Zack. “If I’m looking at this correctly, there’s another Black Ranger here on Earth.”

A chorus of “what?”, “no way!”, and “how?!” echoed in the room as they gathered around Billy.

“There have been no other Rangers on Earth besides the ones visiting us,” Jason said.

Maggie’s gut started to twist.

Alpha threw his arms out in exasperation. “The Zeo Crystal would have to be acclimated to the other Power Coin for it to be of use while Zack is recovering.”

Maggie's knees started to shake with fear.

“Teleport this possible Ranger here, Alpha,” Zordon ordered.

The black beam of light arrived moments later. Maggie wanted to be surprised. She wanted to be stunned. But, honestly, Maggie should’ve seen this coming. She stuffed her hands in her pockets as she headed over to the bewildered arrival.

“Pick up any shiny rocks lately, Alex?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....r u surprised? y/n? validate my plot twist pls?


	4. Chapter 4

Maggie saw the moment Alex decided against answering the question. Before Maggie, or anyone else, could get Alex talking, Trini broke the sudden tension.

Her laughter echoed through the Grid room. “Oh, my God, you fucking would!”

Alex glared at Trini. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Trini rolled her eyes. “So, what? It followed you home?”

Alex shifted, going from annoyed to uncomfortable. Maggie closed the distance between them, knowing any and all conversation about Astra In-Ze was not easy. Alex crossed her arms over her chest, and Maggie made no move to get Alex to physically open up.

“All of our coins followed us home,” Billy pointed out. “It makes sense this one would, too.”

“Yeah, but we also purposely kept ours,” Jason said.

Maggie put an arm around Alex and felt her lean against Maggie’s side. The coin in Maggie’s pocket hummed with the proximity of another Ranger. “Hey, you’re not in trouble. It was Astra’s, right?”

Alex nodded, the tension in her shoulders making her stiff. “Kara doesn’t know.”

Kim raised her hand. “Can we start from the beginning?”

Maggie gave Alex a questioning look. “Want me to…?”

“I can do this,” Alex said, then took a deep breath. “General Astra In-Ze was the Black Ranger of Krypton. She was also one of the reasons National City was mind controlled a year ago. She was killed during a fight with the DEO. And she was Kara’s aunt.”

Maggie would be forever grateful none of her friends pointed out the obvious: there was only one “normal” human who would have any chance at killing a Kryptonian, and they were looking right at her. Maggie knew Alex was terrified of their judgment. The death of a Power Ranger was precisely the problem that had, in a way, led them to this moment. The only difference being Maggie had a team to protect her where Astra had no one.

“So the coin chose a new avatar,” Alpha said, coming over to inspect Alex. “Even if it couldn’t grant you the true powers of a Ranger, it recognized your potential.”

Alex shook her head. “It should’ve gone to Kara.”

“Power Coins are not hereditary,” Zordon said, rippling into existence. Alex was taken aback, but Maggie, Trini, and Kim had spoken enough about Jason’s “arguments with a wall” to prepare her. “Kara is a hero in many ways, this is true, but her actions don’t diminish your own.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why I’m here,” Alex said, deciding to neither argue or agree with the idea of heroics. Her eyes drifted over to Zack, and not for the first time.

“Zack went and did the stupid thing and got himself knocked out right before an attack,” Trini said, knocking her knuckles on his armored ribs.

“Three Phantoms attacked us and almost got lucky,” Jason said, grimacing at how unprepared they’d been. “Now we have an old enemy closing in on us, and we’re down a Ranger.”

“It’ll only take me a minute to get the coin,” Alex said, easing away from Maggie.

Kim smirked. “You should check your pockets.”

Alex frowned but did just that. She froze before slowly pulling the coin from her back pocket. “I have this locked up at all times. After I kept forgetting to bring it into the DEO, I stopped dealing with it.” She looked at Maggie. “You know, I meant to tell you about this.”

“It’s likely the years of Astra’s influence to remain hidden prevented you from exposing it,” Zordon said. “Because you are a passive avatar, a year is not nearly long enough to bind the coin to your ideals.”

“Not that I’m in the business of transparency, either,” Alex admitted. “Though, I really don’t like the idea of inanimate objects having a mind of their own.”

“Same,” Trini said, rolling her eyes. “You think I hung out with these idiots by choice in high school?”

“You fucking love me,” Kim replied.

Trini smirked. “I love fucking-”

“So about WHY Alex is here,” Billy interrupted before his teammates could get rolling on that particular topic. “Zack will heal, but not in time. Are you with us, Alex?”

“Do I really have a choice?” Alex asked, looking around at all of them.

“Yes,” Jason said, his voice firm. “Any of us can choose to walk away and pass on the powers. We all have our reasons for staying, but one day we might have a reason to leave the team. This doesn’t make us weak, or cowards. There’s only so much someone can give of themselves. You’re only the coin’s first choice.”

“But if you don’t want to do this,” Kim said, “that doesn’t mean me and Trini will rescind your open invitation to our apartment.”

Trini winked. “Maybe the invite to our bedroom-”

Jason groaned. “Do you ever stop?”

“You’ve known me for how long?” Trini asked, eyebrow raised.

“Too long.” He refocused on Alex. “Point is, Alex, we’re asking, not demanding. If you want to take the night to think about it, we can meet back here in the morning.”

Alex shook her head. “No, I’m in.” She glanced at Maggie, a grin slowly spreading. “I mean, suit of armor, giant robot beast, and saving the world? Typical Tuesday.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “We’ll see what you think about being a Power Ranger after a session in the Pit.”

The rest of the team groaned. “Tonight was bad enough,” Billy said. “Did you really have to remind us that we have to train tomorrow?”

“Get some rest, Rangers,” Zordon ordered.

Maggie held Alex close as the teleportation beam swept them up. Alex becoming a Power Ranger was the last risk Maggie wanted her fiance to take. The world, however, was depending on them, and Maggie couldn’t put her own desires before the planet again. After all, choosing Alex the first time had led to the Psycho Ranger’s initial involvement and Zack with a caved-in skull. Maggie could not pick Alex over Earth a second time.


	5. Chapter 5

“Say the word, and I won’t do this,” Alex said the moment they landed back in Alex’s apartment.

Maggie wrapped Alex in a hug and held her tight for a long minute. When she pulled away, she said, “This is your decision. You haven’t asked me to stand down. I can’t ask you to do that, either.”

“But being a Power Ranger is your thing, and I didn’t even come by this properly.” Alex was giving Maggie an out, but Maggie also knew how low Alex’s self-esteem could get, even now.

“Babe, all of us literally picked up our coins thinking they were cool shiny rocks.” Maggie led Alex over to the couch. “Zack was gonna sell his for money.”

“I feel like I’m intruding.” Alex dug the coin out of her pocket and put it on the coffee table. “And I killed for it.”

“No, Alex,” Maggie said, firm and locking eyes with Alex. “You killed Astra in self-defense. You had no idea she was a Power Ranger or that you would gain a Power Coin from her. There’s a difference, understand me?”

Alex nodded, the tightness in her shoulders dropping away.

“And you aren’t intruding.” Maggie tucked Alex’s hair behind her ears. “If we didn’t want you to know anything about us, you wouldn’t. If we didn’t want you as a Ranger, we would’ve found a way to take the coin without you knowing.”

Alex leaned back against the couch, considering the coin. Maggie gave her some time, getting up to get them some water. She would do everything to reassure Alex that she could, and should, wield the powers.

“Are you afraid?” Alex asked after a while, having sipped some of the water.

“Yes.” It wasn’t an easy admission. “When I stood up to Lord Zedd to save Kim and Trini, I thought he was going to kill me. It hasn’t gotten easier. No one who attacks us wants our surrender. A living Ranger, even one without powers, can fight back. They want to kill us.”

Alex nodded. “There’s part of me that’s exhausted. It hasn’t been a month since the Daxamites. But there’s also part of me that’s almost...eager? Super confident we can win this? I don’t know if that’s arrogance or just me knowing I can do this.”

Maggie smiled a little. “There’s more to being a Power Ranger than an ability to kick ass. Look, you told me how J’onn put you in charge once. There might have been some grumbling from older agents, but no one really questioned your command, right? Not all of that was just due to J’onn’s orders. We both know good leaders do more than give commands.”

They sat there for a few more minutes before heading to bed. Maggie knew she could sleep, her body was used to sleeping despite any anticipation. She didn’t think Alex would sleep deeply, if at all. There were still so many questions Maggie knew Alex wanted to ask, so many things needing clarification. A day in the Pit would solve Alex’s insomnia, though, so Maggie just curled up around her and hoped they made it through the next week intact.

~*~

Maggie woke Alex up just before dawn. She was grateful they had the day off, but now they would have to train and plan for Prince Gasket’s arrival. Alex got dressed with her eyes barely open. The teleportation woke them both up a bit more, and their destination did the rest.

The train car was chilly, but there was already a fire going in the pit outside. Bags of fast food sat in a stone alcove beside the flames. Maggie tugged Alex out to join the rest of the team for breakfast.

“This is from your ‘camping’ pictures,” Alex said as she sat on a log next to Kim.

“Easiest way to disappear for a few days,” Jason said around a mouthful of hash browns.

Kim handed over a thermos of coffee. “Don’t talk to Trini until she speaks first.”

Alex saluted Kim with the thermos and took the warning seriously. Silence fell over the group as they filled their bellies. Alex didn’t put away nearly as much food as those around her, but Maggie knew that would change after training. If Maggie and Alex were pressed up against each other, no one said anything.

The sun slowly rose, warming them and the surrounding land.

Once the food was gone, Billy packed up the garbage into his backpack, and they set off for the ship. Alex didn’t question why they were walking through an abandoned mine. Maggie actually missed the days of dodging mining staff and security. For all the team kept to some traditions, the world still changed around them. It made something in Maggie’s chest ache.

When they reached the second cliff where Billy had decided their fate, Trini took a running leap, Kim a moment behind her. Jason grinned at Maggie and Alex before taking off. Billy was mere moments behind him.

Alex’s jaw dropped as she watched the team jump over the small canyon.

“What the actual fuck, Sawyer?” Alex drawled, flipping off the quartet waving her over.

“This is how we had to get into the ship before the teleportation system was repaired,” Maggie said. “C’mon, Danvers. Not scared, are you?”

That was all the push Alex needed. She backed up a few steps and started running. The rest of the team cheered and whooped and clapped. Alex landed on her feet, skidding only a little. Maggie waited until she had an audience before making her own leap.

“What the fuck?!” Alex demanded, elated and confused. “How…? That was…”

“It gets even better!” Billy said, feeding off her excitement. He went towards the edge of the cliff and danced off of it.

Jason was laughing as he followed him over. Alex went to the ledge and looked over, but the sun was still too low for light to reach the bottom.

“No, Kim.” Trini’s stern voice pulled their attention to the couple. Trini had her finger pointed at Kim, who was currently incapable of looking at all innocent.

“But tradition, Trini.” Kim took a step closer, causing Trini to step back towards the ledge.

“I swear to God-”

Kim snorted. “You haven’t believed in God since the eighth grade.”

“That’s beside the po-”

Kim moved faster than Alex thought possible even with planet given superpowers. The duo was over the edge of the cliff before Alex could really comprehend Kim had tackled Trini.

“C’mon, you two!” Jason called up. “The water’s warm!”

“That deep in the ground?” Alex gave Maggie a disbelieving look. “Doubtful.”

Maggie grinned. “Only one way to find out.”

Alex sighed but jumped. Maggie followed a blink later, not wanting to miss Alex’s reaction. Maggie surfaced just as Alex caught sight of the way they were glowing. Alex didn’t have a chance to voice any wonder before Billy was tugging her under water.

Thankfully, Jason and Billy weren’t rude about leading her out of the water. They went through the ‘surface’ feet first, followed by Kim and Trini. Alex gave Maggie another look before twisting around and swimming through.

“How the hell am I dry?” Alex asked when Maggie landed next to her.

Billy pointed up. “That’s actually a shield to keep out anyone without a connection to the Morphing Grid. It dries us off.”

Alex gazed up at the rippling water. Maggie could see her mind whirling with the possibilities. They headed through the maze of rock and Alex got to see the sixty-five-million-year-old ship from the outside. She stood and stared. Maggie motioned the others ahead.

“All this, and you went along with it?” Alex asked.

Maggie shrugged. “To be fair, I spent the three years before meeting them mostly friendless.”

“Insanity better than nothing, huh?” Alex nudged Maggie’s shoulder.

Maggie nudged her back. “I am marrying you, aren’t I?”

Alex’s jaw dropped, appalled. Maggie laughed and took off for the Pit. Alex shouted at her and gave chase. Maggie jumped over the Pit, and when she hit the other side, Alpha brought up half a dozen Cogs to block Alex’s path. Maggie turned around just in time to watch Alex react.

Alex’s fist cocked back and flew into the nearest Cog’s chest. It stumbled back, and Alex got a taste of new strength and enemies. She grabbed the next Cog’s head and twisted until it snapped. Before the body could hit the ground, Alex had kicked one robot into another, sending them to the ground. She went after her first target again, grabbing the metal fist coming at her face and swinging the Cog into the two remaining upright. Using both her new strength and the rocky terrain, Alex dispatched the six Cogs in three minutes.

“That’s hot,” Trini said when Alex looked up at them.

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose while Kim and Maggie nodded in agreement. Billy hopped down and started asking Alex about one particular move. Alpha set up a Cog for them to practice on in an alcove off to the side of the Pit. The rest of the team leaped down into the pit as a dozen Cogs appeared. Trini and Maggie were back to back as they speared into the heart of the group, falling into their oldest of habits. Kim and Jason circled around the outside, thrashing any robot in their reach.

Alpha, however, was a little shit. Between one moment and the next, Prince Gasket appeared in front of Maggie. Trini felt her flinch and immediately rolled their shoulders against each other to push Maggie out of the way. Kim moved in as well, letting Jason deal with the Cogs.

“I got this,” Maggie said over her shoulder.

Trini immediately let Maggie turn them around so Maggie could lay into Prince Gasket. She tossed him out of the knot of Cogs and Jason joined her in fear and anger fueled their movements. The hologram hit back harder than they remembered the real Prince Gasket doing so, reinforcing the idea that Prince Gasket was back to kill them, not repeat his attempt at making evil Rangers. Maggie lowered herself and slammed her arm into Prince Gasket’s chest, pinning him to the stone wall. Jason jumped into the air behind her and kicked Prince Gasket’s head off his shoulders.

Maggie backed away and let the robotic body fall to the ground. Her fists were shaking. Jason was breathing heavily next to her. Silence rang out in her ears.

“Let’s go check on Zack,” Jason muttered.

Maggie nodded and fell in step behind him, not looking at her team or fiance. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weekly updates were on pause because i was moving. hopefully, i can finish writing this before nanowrimo eats my soul <.< >.>

The ship was colder than the cave behind them. Maggie’s shoulders started to relax as they headed deeper into the one place no one had ever hurt them. Sure, there were attacks at the door, but no one had ever breached the ship itself.

The room holding Zack was dim and quiet. A monitor in the wall above his head showed his vitals and an image of his healing skull. His armor surrounded him, keeping him still, keeping him safe. The only real sign of life was in his chest rising and falling with each breath.

Maggie laced her fingers with one of Zack’s limp hands and took a deep breath. She thought she could handle the sight of that damn robot, that she wouldn’t freak out. Being wrong wasn’t exactly a surprise. Prince Gasket had fucked up her and Jason about the same as Lord Zedd.

“We’ve got this, Mags,” Jason said from Zack’s other side.

“Do we?” She looked up at him. “We just lost our cool on a hologram. What’s gonna happen in three days when he has his hands around one of our throats?”

“We use the next few days to get used to the sight of him, to work out our issues.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We have our team, our best friends. You’re going to do everything within your power to protect Alex and vice versa.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.” Her hands were still shaking. “Do you remember our conversation after the Warstar Empire attacked? I was willing to risk losing my powers to save her. We both know I have a dark side, one that Alex hasn’t seen. If Gasket lays a hand on her…”

Jason tilted his head. “Didn’t she go rogue to take on an entire anti-alien organization by herself for her dad?”

Maggie shook her head. “That’s different. He’s family, I’m just-”

“Just what?” Jason asked. “Just her fiance? Just the person she’s decided to spend the rest of her life with? She’s a Ranger now, Mags, and you know it’s not just because she knows us.” He reached over and took her free hand. “You’re not the only one here that does dangerous, insane shit to save people.”

Maggie snorted. “Yeah. Sorry. I just… Gasket is bad news.”

“So let’s go show her.” Jason’s wording served a purpose. Just as they had observed Maggie’s fight with the Phantom, they could view any battle witnessed in their armor.

Maggie let go of Zack and Jason’s hands. “Sometimes your great ideas are horrible.”

“That’s why I’m the leader.” He slung his arm over her shoulder as they headed out to find their friends. “It’s too bad the fight with the real Gasket won’t go as easily. That combo was pretty awesome.”

“I’d hope we know how to pull off awesome combos after this long.” Maggie grinned. “It helps that I was involved, though.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure, it’s the Green Ranger that makes it awesome, not the Red Ranger.”

When they returned to the Pit, they stood on the ledge and watched the fight. Kim and Trini were back to back while Alex and Billy circled. Alpha was letting the bodies disappear, but he didn’t stop adding more. Maggie leaped into the fray, curious as to how she and Alex would work when hand-to-hand was involved. Jason moved in close to Billy, allowing Billy to fall back a bit more and have room to maneuver.

Maggie wasn’t at all surprised when she and Alex ended up in the same back-to-back position. She wasn’t expecting the two of them to fight so seamlessly together within the first hour, but she had a feeling the Grid was at work as well as their relationship. When they merged with Kim and Trini, Jason and Billy weren’t long in joining the group. Shoulder to shoulder, the Cogs, Quantrons, Ooze Goons, Putties, and every other enemy Alpha could throw at them had no chance. Maggie felt a current shoot through her moments before her armor encased her.

The last of the minions were destroyed within moments.

Maggie turned to watch Alex marvel at her new power. Alex was looking over herself, flexing the armor and twisting to get a feel for her range of movement. Maggie herself could feel Alex in the Grid the way she could the rest of her team. It wasn’t the same as Zack. It wouldn’t be. But it was still a comfort, a kind of profound affirmation.

“This is amazing,” Alex murmured, the awe evident. “I didn’t feel it on my skin; I felt it happening somewhere else.”

“Deeper than your bones?” Billy asked, as his face mask cleared.

Alex nodded. “Is that the Morphing Grid? And how do you do that with the mask?”

“Think about it,” Trini said, smirking as her mask faded away.

“Funny,” Alex drawled even as her face became visible. “Okay, what else can I do?”

One by one, the Rangers called on their weapons. Alpha filled the Pit with minions.

“Unfortunately,” Kim said as she pulled back her bowstring, “you don’t get to choose your weapon.”

Alex raised her fists as her face mask slid back into place. “Let’s do this.”

The minions charged. Alex sprang into the battle, Maggie a moment behind her. The team let Alex take the brunt of the fight so she could push her powers into creating a weapon. Maggie could feel the energy swirling around Alex, channeling to bring Alex to the same combat level.

The ax that filled Alex’s hands was different from Zack’s except for the black and silver coloring. It was double bladed where Zack’s had one side, and slimmer for quicker movements. Alex didn’t hesitate to put it to work, barely registering her new weapon.

When the Pit was empty of enemies, Maggie was the first to let her armor fade back into her skin. She knew she had to be the one to bring up Prince Gasket. The rest of the team would protect her and Jason from reliving the nightmare. “Let’s go inside,” she told all of them. “We need to catch Alex up on Gasket’s history.”

Maggie could see Trini and Kim trade a look while Billy double checked with Jason. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust her, it was that they were mentally preparing for what could happen. Maggie rarely spoke of Lord Zedd. Jason was equally silent on Prince Gasket.

“You didn’t say anything about history lessons,” Alex teased as they entered the Grid Room. “I don’t know if I wanna do this if I have to _learn_  something.”

Trini replied before Maggie could. “So you’re an all-action girl, huh?”

Alex winked at Trini. “Lots of action.”

Kim shoved Trini away from Alex before they could get started.

Jason hopped up on his platform, and the others followed suit. Alex hesitated for a moment. She took a deep breath and watched for a reaction as her feet touched the faintly glowing pad. It darkened to the black color and hummed, but nothing more.

Maggie closed her eyes and brought up the memory of her and Jason’s capture. She didn’t remember all of it, but her suit and the Grid would. The room became the field they met Prince Gasket face to face. Maggie looked over at Alex and watched her wonder turn into rapt attention.

Sprawled around the field were four of the Rangers in varying states of injury and unconsciousness. Maggie was under Prince Gasket’s foot, her armor creaking. Jason lay at her side, a spear tip pushing down into his throat.

“Time and again Rangers have been turned evil against their wills,” Prince Gasket said as he continued to exert pressure on them. “I think it would be far more effective to have them forget they were ever heroes. What do you say we find out?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the canon idea I’m basing Maggie and Jason’s memory off of  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COMq9_RhPS4

5 Years Ago

Maggie wasn’t fond of the way the Machine Empire teleported organic matter. She barely avoided throwing up in her helmet. Prince Gasket’s weight sat firmly on her chest, and she couldn’t heave in enough air to breathe against the panic trying to settle into her bones.

She was in enemy hands again.

Jason was with her.

Prince Gasket had so many options with two Rangers at his mercy: one of them a spare worth killing, use one as a bargaining chip against the other, or, after making one forget they were friends, have the brainwashed one kill the Ranger who couldn’t whether to fight for their life or hurt their teammate.

Maggie was screwed no matter what.

Prince Gasket yelled for his Cogs, twisting his spear into Jason’s throat. The armor around his neck started to crack.

The Cogs brought over steaming, glowing buckets that made the air around them ripple with heat. Maggie braced for the impact, but she could never truly prepare for what happened.

Molten metal was poured on them. Starting with their legs, they were sealed to the ship’s deck. Their armor saved them from direct burns, but the heat was overwhelming. Pain and panic made her dizzy as the Cogs dumped a bucket around her torso. Prince Gasket’s weight was lifted, and she managed to expand her lungs long enough to breathe in the hot and humid smell of burning metal.

The liquid found its way into the cracks of her armor, expanding the fissures as it hardened.

Maggie lost the fight to maintain some semblance of control. She screamed. Her world went dark.

* * *

Alex wanted to move. She tried to leave the platform and go stand next to Maggie. But she was rooted to the spot. The memory, thankfully, jumped to the next “important” moment. Alex didn’t think she could handle watching Maggie being torn apart piece by piece.

* * *

Maggie was stuck to the floor. Not a foot away Jason lay in the same case of metal. Only their heads were visible. Maggie could barely breathe due to the way the metal melted into her armor, holding it in place. After passing out, she had woken to a strange device over her head. It was replying her life. Or, at least, she thought it was her life.

She could recognize the people and place and events, but only for a moment. Once the memory faded from her vision, it left her mind. She couldn’t recall what she had just seen no matter how hard she tried to cling to a single name. If someone was repeated, like her teammates, Maggie only knew they were important. She no longer remembered how they met.

Tears were soaking into her hair as she lost everything that made her life unique and worth living.

Jason was yelling beside her, trying to shout names so he could remember, only to trail off as he simply forgot.

Maggie couldn’t close her eyes. Even if they were shut, the device just played everything in her brain. She hated that their enemies could so easily get into their heads. They had powers enough to support every living organism on a planet but those same powers couldn’t protect their minds, couldn’t protect the very essence that made them Rangers.

Last night’s campfire flickered across her vision. Maggie sobbed, the noise cut short as she lost her own name.

* * *

Alex blinked back her gathering tears as Maggie and Jason were released from their metal shells. They stood, limp and compliant, the armor seeming empty of any real life. Alex’s hands twisted around the metal railing, forcing herself to watch as Maggie and Jason were ordered to attack King Mondo and Queen Machina.

* * *

Prince Gasket may have erased Maggie’s memories, but that didn’t mean new ones couldn’t be remembered. Though Maggie didn’t even know her own name or how she came to be in Prince Gasket’s service, she remembered everything that happened to her after being released from her metal tomb. The upside of Prince Gasket rushing his plans to be rid of his creators was in that he didn’t take the time to capture the rest of her team.

The downside resulted in him losing the battle against the King and Queen of the Machine Empire. The Cogs were a hive mind and though Prince Gasket had a substantial army behind him, obeying King Mondo was part of the base code of every Cog. With only two Rangers, Prince Gasket lost the battle for control of the Machine Empire.

Even with armor, fighting countless robots bruised her hands and feet. Being hit for hours without a break left many hairline fractures on almost every bone in her body. Without food or water, it was her connection to the Grid that kept her alive.

When the battle was over, Jason and Maggie found themselves on their knees in front of King Mondo and Queen Machina. The fates of all involved were decided swiftly and without theatrics. Maggie never understood why Prince Gasket was merely banished and not offlined. She didn’t think evil, megalomaniac robots were so impractical. But she supposed forcing Prince Gasket to exist with the humiliation of his failure instead of being erased was the worse punishment.

Jason and Maggie were organics and therefore of no use to the Machine Empire. However, returning them to Earth would make King Mondo’s domination of the planet that much harder. He sent them to the world of Onyx. The Milky Way’s largest gladiator arena was based there.

Maggie ate the gruel handed over to them with gusto. It was the first meal she could remember having. Neither she nor Jason knew what good nor bad tasting food was, all they knew was they needed the nutrition. When they were announced at their first fight, the mention of “Power Rangers” caused a stunned silence. The eruption of noise was a combination of cheers and panic.

Later, Maggie and Jason learned they were able to stay morphed because Onyx’s Zeo Crystal had no other Rangers to support. Due to being Onyx’s first Rangers in millennia, they were able to survive. Had they lost their powers, they would’ve died in their first fight.

For two days, Maggie and Jason slept occasionally, ate sparingly, were barely allowed to heal, and fought for their lives. The Machine Empire attacking Earth meant it wasn’t their team that saved them. The Power Rangers of Mirinoi responded to the rumors of a Red and Green Ranger at the arena.

* * *

 Alex had seen Maggie go for kill shots. Alex knew Maggie was capable of being ruthless. Alex also knew Maggie preferred to de-escalate a situation. Watching the empty shell with Maggie’s face slaughter dozens of aliens made Alex’s heart ache. Some of them were monsters. Others? Others were trapped as much as Maggie and Jason.

Alex had done a few horrible things when her mind wasn’t her own but never killed anyone. Any death she had dealt out was done with her full knowledge and acceptance of the result. Alex had no idea how Maggie dealt with the experience and weight of killing people trying to survive.

* * *

Maggie sat on a bed in the medical section of the Mirinoi Ranger’s ship and took a good look at her body for the first time since emerging from Prince Gasket’s metal shell. Her knuckles were nothing but bloody bruises, as were the other points of her body she used to hit targets. The parts of her arms Maggie used for blocking attacks were dark with bone-deep bruising. She knew from brief glimpses her torso and legs were in the same state.

It was weird to be faced with the reality of her organic body. Waking up surrounded by robots had made her truly believe she was one of them, just a little different in programming. She hadn’t understood from King Mondo and Queen Machina had meant by “organic.”

Now she knew it meant pain and suffering. It involved a liquid diet until her organs healed. It meant being faced with an entire life she couldn’t remember. The Mirinoi Rangers didn’t know everything, they only knew what they had been able to pull from the leaders of the arena before burning it to the ground.

Maggie and Jason had been taken from their team and homeworld. They were forced to forget everything. Said homeworld and team had barely survived two long days against an entire, relentless army. With Prince Gasket gone from the Milky Way and the Machine Empire destroyed, there was no way of knowing how Maggie’s memories could be returned.

Even her name seemed weird on her tongue. It settled something in her mind, but it sounded odd.

The door to Medical opened, and Maggie looked up to see Kendrix enter with some clothing. She set a stack highlighted in red next to Jason and one in green next to Maggie. Wanting to get clean as soon as she could, Maggie carefully slid off the bed and picked up her clothes with a soft thanks. Jason asked Kendrix how they still understood language and time and such when they could remember nothing else.

Kendrix said something about Gasket wanting them to only forget who they were, not what. Having them forget how to function as an adult would be of no use to him.

Maggie didn’t know if Kendrix’s answer was a comfort or not.

* * *

Alex watched Maggie remember her life the hard way: much like they were watching the memory in the Grid, Maggie and Jason were shown their pasts as Power Rangers. The problem was how their minds reacted to being reminded. Breaking through what Gasket did to them almost broke them. The pain their minds endured to reconnect the memories just out of reach left them in agony. It took weeks. Jason and Maggie would push themselves until they fainted.

When the replay ended, Alex could only look to Maggie. The blank expression on Maggie’s face spoke of how much the events still haunted her. Alex left the pedestal and crossed the room. Alex didn’t care that they were now Power Rangers together and may have to face something as horrible or worse than when Alex just witnessed. She wrapped Maggie in a hug and had no plans on ever letting go.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the thanks in the world to jaguarspot and Jesi_Ki_Kage, as usual c:

Maggie took a deep breath and pulled her head up from Alex’s shoulder. They were alone in the Grid Room, which was dimmed due to inactivity. Alex was watching her with a look of awe.

“Is that you?” Alex asked in a whisper.

Maggie felt their connection, suddenly and intensely. Her eyes drifted closed in contentment. “Yeah. Our bond through the Morphin’ Grid.” She forced her eyes back open to watch Alex. “Every Ranger team shares it, but you and me…”

Alex kissed her, gently, briefly. “I love you.”

Maggie squeezed her arms tighter for a moment. “I love you, too.”

The way Alex’s eye lit up, the feedback loop of happiness, the soul-deep knowledge that Alex was here with her in every way made most of Maggie’s lingering pain fade away.

Then Alex’s stomach rumbled.

Maggie grinned at Alex’s embarrassed flush. “I love you, but I think at this moment I love your belly’s idea even more.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “It’s been a long morning, and I’m new at this.”

“You’re learning quicker than I did,” Maggie said as she led the way towards the doors, one arm firmly around Alex’s waist. “I’m sorry I had to scare you like this.”

“What? No! Mags, I’m sorry you had to relive it all.” Alex squeezed Maggie’s shoulders. “I don’t think I could ever teach anyone something this way.”

“I’m sure if Kara needed the information, you could find it in yourself to do it.”

“And you,” Alex said, firm and without hesitance. “If it was the only way to show you what was coming, I could do it for you, too.” She froze mid-step. “Shit. Kara.”

Maggie tugged to get her moving again. “You can call her after we eat. She already knows who we all are. Unless you want to put it off until after Prince Gasket arrives?”

“Uh, no.” Alex shook her head, absolutely against the idea. “I went two years without telling her about the DEO, and that was pretty much the most stressful two years of my life. This? A LOT worse.”

“Then after lunch, we’ll go back up, and you can call her.” Maggie shrugged. “I don’t know if we can get her through the force field since she doesn’t have any connection to the Grid, but you can at least morph as proof.”

They entered the ship’s mess hall, and the scent of food made Maggie’s mouth water. Being physically and emotionally drained throughout the last few hours made her ravenous.

“Look who finally came out of the mind meld,” Trini teased from where she was lounging with her head in Kim’s lap. Her hands were laced protectively over the food baby that was her stomach.

“You’re just jealous I can last that long,” Alex shot back. It pleased Maggie to no end that her former and current girlfriends got along so well.

Trini didn’t hesitate to smirk and leer. “Some things are a lot more fun than mind melds.”

Jason folded his arms on the table and buried his head with a sigh. Billy absently pats his shoulder, more focused on the last bit of ice cream in his bowl.

Alex sat across from Kim and next to Jason, not the least bit apologetic for egging on Trini. “I didn’t think there’d be any food left after four of you.”

“Alpha likes to challenge himself to keep up,” Kim said as she passed a platter of chicken over.

“Huh, I was expecting replicator technology.” Alex started to fill a plate while Maggie just snagged the first thing in reach and started eating.

“Replicated food doesn’t taste the same to most Rangers who know cooked food,” Billy said. “I remember watching Star Trek with my mom, and she said even if we did live in that kind of environment, she would cook food because then she could taste the effort.”

Alex nodded in vague understanding. “That’s why Kara says she likes Earth food so much. Her metabolism is sustained by the sun, so she doesn’t really need to eat.”

Maggie took a long drink of water. “We’re going to tell her after this if that’s okay with all of you.”

The rest of the team was perfectly fine with Kara being told Alex’s new status. Jason lifted his head to start figuring out everyone’s schedule for the next three days. It was too late for most of them to put in for the time off necessary for their usual “camping trips.” They would have to train and prep Angel Grove as their lives allowed. Fortunately, Angel Grove never got more than a day’s warning. Not only did it reduce the panic time and forced an orderly reaction, but it also kept most of the tourists and thrill seekers from getting into town before a battle.

Half an hour later, Alex was pacing along the edge of a cliff. Maggie was exasperated at how quickly Alex put her new powers to death-defying use. Anyone else would still be a hint hesitant about their reaction time to the rock wall giving way.

“Babe, Kara isn’t going to hate you.” Maggie tilted her head. “I think she’s more likely to want to be here fighting with us and helping Angel Grove.”

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say.

Alex went wide-eyed. “What? No! Kara can NOT be here fighting against someone with the power to ACTUALLY destroy the entire planet. She’s bulletproof, yeah, but I don’t want to know just how many kinds of bullets she can handle.”

“The sooner you call her, the sooner you can explain that to her.” Maggie was hoping the distraction worked.

“But this has to do with Astra….” Which Alex was understandably still a bit hung up on, given she was the reason Kara lost her last familial connection.

“Do you want to practice on Lucy? Or Vas?” Maggie figured that since both women knew the importance of both Kryptonians to Alex, they would be a good starting point.

Alex frowned. “Vas? Vas doesn’t know.”

Maggie scoffed. “Vas bought me that bonsai with the Power Ranger pot. Vas definitely knows.”

Alex grew thoughtful, trying to figure out when Vas could’ve possibly learned the truth. Maggie wasn’t at all surprised that the comms agent knew. Communication personnel always knew more than they ever let on; it was their job to parse out necessary data and relay only the vital information. Maggie never spent time with Vas until after the invasion, and Lucy wouldn’t run her mouth to anyone. But that didn’t mean Vas was oblivious or out of any loop within the DEO.

Maggie was just about to call Kara herself when Alex hit her speed dial and leaped out to an outcropping of rock.

“Hey, nothing bad, but do you think you can fly out to the old mines by Angel Grove?” Alex bit her lip as she listened to Kara. “Okay, see you soon.” She hung up and stared at her phone. “Do you think J’onn knows?”

Maggie shrugged. “I think your telepathic boss picked up on the fact neither the Power Ranger nor his best agent have been in the city since this morning.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “I’m not his best agent.”

Kara landed next to Alex, tugging her to more solid ground with a raised eyebrow. “He made you the emergency director. The President of the United States did the same thing. That means you’re really, really good at your job. Like, the best at it.”

Alex looked between them and decided against arguing the point. “Kara, there’s been something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while. I haven’t been able to because I’m pretty much forced to forget the subject. I’ve tried to write it down, text, even make a recording and I just… Haven’t been allowed.”

Kara was doing her best not to panic. “If J’onn hasn’t brought it to my attention, and we’re all the way out here with Maggie...” She narrowed her eyes. “A secret you’ve been forced to forget that has to do with the Power Rangers.” She looked between Maggie and Alex. “You know what happened to Aunt Astra’s power coin.”

Maggie knew she shouldn’t be so impressed because Kara wasn’t exactly stupid. “Are you sure you want to be a reporter and not a detective?”

Kara sent her a wry look. “Your badge and my cape have only just started getting along. My having one would definitely be a conflict of interest.” And, well, she wasn’t wrong.

Alex held out the Black Kryptonian Power Coin. “Maggie and the others say it chose me to guard it. I didn’t know what it was at first. After I realized, I wanted to give it to you.”

Kara’s hand cupped Alex’s, her fingers hovering over the shard of glass.

“There was an attack last night,” Maggie said, stepping closer in case she needed to interfere with Kara’s temper. “Zack’s out of commission for the next week. We have an enemy showing up in three days.”

Kara’s gaze pulled away from the coin to look Alex in the eyes. “You’re a Power Ranger now.”

“Until Zack heals,” Alex said. “I didn’t mean to, I know this is, Kara I-”

The sisters were hugging before Maggie could blink. Kara had a hand over Alex’s, holding the coin between them. Alex spent one moment feeling surprised before she melted into relief and wrapped her sister in her arms. Maggie felt the tension in her shoulders drop.

“I need you to be careful if I can’t be here,” Kara said. She looked at Maggie. “Both of you.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near here,” Alex said. “But I’m pretty sure Angel Grove wouldn’t mind seeing you while everything happens.”

Kara nodded. “I think that should hold my focus enough.”

Maggie closed the space between them as the sisters separated. “Kara, you understand Alex didn’t claim the coin, right? It’s likely the coin just kinda showed up on her table one morning without any kind of real interaction with Alex.”

“I understand.” Kara smiled a little. “I’m not exactly surprised, though. Of course, you’d end up a Power Ranger, Alex. You have everything that makes them amazing as it is.”

Alex huffed. “I’m just-”

“You’re not just anything,” Maggie and Kara said at the same time.

“Ugh, fine.”

Kara took a step back. “I can’t hear Snapper from here, except I can. Sister night tonight?” She looked at Maggie. “And super breakfast tomorrow?”

Alex and Maggie agreed to the plan, and Kara flew back towards National City. Alex nearly collapsed into Maggie’s arms.

“See, your sister loves you,” Maggie said. “And on the off chance she gives you shit tonight, you have me, four scrappy super-powered friends, an asshole robot, and a very grumpy, very wise face in a wall that’ll have your back.”

“Thank you, Maggie.”

“For you, anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the deal: This chapter has been written for months. I didn’t post it because I figured no one cared after the last chapter got one comment. From my beta reader. As far as I’m concerned, no one’s reading this fic anymore. If that’s the case, fine. I’ve got other things people will read.  
> But if you want this story? You gotta tell me. All I need is “:)” so I know you’re here for this. I don’t need you to tell me your fave line or scene or anything. I WANT to write this story, I want to fix season three. But I don’t see the point if no one cares.  
> Yes, I’m being that bitch who demands feedback for more fic. Don’t like it? Hit the back button. I’m too old and too tired for y’all to be consuming my effort and showing no appreciation.


	9. Chapter 9

Alex unbuckled her seatbelt but didn’t get out of Maggie’s car. “It feels bizarre going to work when someone is literally going to show up to try and destroy the world.”

Maggie shifted in her seat to look at Alex. “Isn’t that kind of a typical Tuesday for you?”

“Okay,” she rolled her eyes, “it’s weird knowing I can beat up Kara.”

Maggie chuckled but grew serious. “Please be careful if you go out into the field? We only really had time to teach you how to use the powers. We didn’t get into controlling your strength against something you maybe shouldn’t kill.”

Alex nodded. “I can’t promise to stay in the lab all day, but if I do go out, I’ll call you.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Maggie leaned in for a quick kiss. “Be careful.”

Alex grinned, having picked up on the Ranger farewell. “Stay safe.” 

When Alex got up to the command hub, J’onn raised an eyebrow at her. “Agent Danvers. I wasn’t expecting you in until after things had settled.”

Alex saw Winn frowning at his desk, likely trying to think of what was happening that would keep Alex from the DEO. “The others can’t get away from their jobs on such short notice, and since there’s only so much physical training I can do…” She shrugged. “I’m going to catch up on some things here.”

J’onn nodded. “R&D might be a good place to start.”

She heeded his advice and headed for the weapons testing lab. Sam had taught her to keep an eye on those who made things in labs but had never been out in the field. While there could be some great ideas within the building, sometimes reality was never so cooperative outside the lab walls. 

Alex was in the middle of looking into how the reverse engineering of the Daxamite weapons was going when her team got the call to roll out. For the first time in a long time, she was afraid. If Alex wasn’t careful, she could hurt a teammate yanking them out of the way or hitting an alien into a building’s support beam. She couldn’t risk exposing her new powers.

How in the world did Maggie do it every day, all day?

Alex didn’t have to ask J’onn to make sure the NCPD would be there. He reported over the comms that police were in route to keep civilians out of the area. While the DEO still did it’s best to maintain anonymity, it wasn’t exactly a secret that Supergirl worked with a vaguely covert government agency. These days, the NCPD had a number to call if they wanted back-up with bigger guns.

“Robots are new,” Kara said over the comms, having already arrived at the scene. “They aren’t doing anything.”

A warning spun up Alex’s spine. “What do they look like?”

Kara proceeded to describe Cogs. Alex felt her blood run cold. 

Prince Gasket was here. 

*

Maggie’s phone chirped the six tone beep she wasn’t expecting at any point today. She yanked it out of her pocket and looked at the text from Alpha.

>Prince Gasket is here via Phantom Ranger technology.< There was an address for the warehouse district. >Master Alex and Supergirl are already en route.<

Maggie knew the rest of the team would be on their way when they were able. She put her phone away. “Shep, round up SWAT for some damage control.” She gave him the address as she grabbed her jacket.

“Maybe give me a minute?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he called Evan.

“I’m meeting Danvers there.”

He sighed but didn’t stop her. He knew she would ask for his help if she needed it.

Maggie hit the lights and sirens of her Charger the moment she was on the street. 

“I’m here with Kara,” Trini reported in through the comms. “It’s wall to wall Cogs. I don’t see Gasket.”

“It’s a trap,” Billy said. “It has to be. There’s nothing here in Angel Grove.”

“Billy, can you patch Alex and Kara in?” Jason asked.

“Sure, gimme just a second. Okay, you two are connected to our comm system now but try not to address us directly. We can hear everything from the DEO, too.”

“This won’t be challenging at all,” Kara drawled, sounding sarcastic to hide the fact she was responding to two different teams.

“Supergirl,” Alex said, “is there any activity?”

“No. Nothing’s moved since their arrival.”

Maggie listened while Winn reported nothing else was happening around National City. 

“So we’re walking into a trap,” Alex said. “Great. Perfect.”

Maggie heard the echo of Alex’s DEO team chuckling through the comms. Stars, she hoped this wasn’t going to be their last op.

“Which one of us is going down there first?” Kim asked, announcing the arrival of the rest of the team.

Trini snorted. “They aren’t moving, let’s just drop the roof on them.”

“They might be rigged to explode,” Billy pointed out. “As it is, their energy cores would level everything within a three-mile radius.”

Everyone was silent as they realized how lucky they had gotten the last time Gasket had been in town.

“So, we’re not creating a new Three Mile Island,” Jason said. “Trini, you and me are going down there. Kim, stay with Billy or so help me-”

“I know the plan,” Kim said. “Act like this isn’t our first rodeo.”

“Alex, how close are you?”

“E.T.A. two minutes twenty-three seconds.”

Maggie glanced at her GPS. “I’m half a minute behind that.”

Alex’s breath caught at the sound of Maggie’s voice. There was a reason Maggie hadn’t said anything. Alex needed to focus on the mission. It was complicated enough that the DEO was heading into what was apparently a Power Ranger problem and Alex would have to hide her powers. Maggie didn’t need to complicate things by being there, except her attendance was required.

This would either solidify her relationship with Alex or tear it apart.

“Hey, just a heads up,” Kara said. “The Power Rangers are kinda here.”

“How can the Power Rangers be “kinda here”?” Alex demanded, playing along. “They either are or aren’t.”

“They showed up, waved, and headed into the building! They’re just looking around, but they don’t sound happy.”

Winn’s chuckle was strained. “We’re all in danger.”

Maggie found the collection of warehouses just as Alex’s team arrived at the scene. Supergirl had already evacuated the few dozen workers to an empty lot. After taking brief, precious seconds to confirm with bosses that everyone was accounted for, Maggie sped off towards her team.

The DEO van was in sight when three Phantoms landed in the road in front of her.

“Phantom Rangers!” Maggie warned as her car screeched to a halt.

Cursing filtered through the comms as the Cogs sprung to life. Alex was directing her team out of the warehouse. Maggie got out of her car as her armor flowed over her. Billy and Kim were running at her at top speed.

“Kara! Stick to Alex like glue!” Jason ordered.

“That robot is huge,” Ford muttered.

Maggie felt her blood run cold.

“Welcome to your doom, Power Rangers!” Prince Gasket’s voice echoed over the comms and between the buildings.

Maggie raised her blade blaster, knowing it was already calibrated for the Phantom Rangers. She fired at the same time as Kim and Billy.

The Phantoms didn’t so much as twitch. They had adapted. 

Maggie felt the fear freeze her veins as Prince Gasket spoke again.

“Prepare to die!”


	10. Chapter 10

Maggie took a slow, deep breath as she returned to consciousness. She wasn’t somewhere familiar. The DEO infirmary smelled like a hospital, and the ship always managed to have the lingering scent of fresh hot chocolate. No, she smelled oil and metal. Which wasn’t all surprising, given her actions.

After jumping over the three Phantoms, Maggie, Kim, and Billy had run into the warehouse to join the others. Alex was forced to morph in front of her DEO team, but they hadn’t been all that surprised. The Phantoms tried to focus on Maggie, but she and Jason were hellbent on destroying Prince Gasket. It was Kara who kept the Phantoms distracted until the Cogs were ordered to concentrate their weapons fire on her.

Maggie hadn’t seen Kara get up. Alex’s berserker rage caught Prince Gasket’s attention. He didn’t hesitate to order his Cogs to bring Alex to him. Before they could teleport away, Maggie had thrown herself at Gasket.

After tensing her muscles to test for restraints, Maggie cracked her eyes open. The cell was dimly lit and small enough that sitting up was going to be a problem. She took a deeper breath. It wasn’t the molten metal tomb. Her body shivered as it registered the cold metal beneath her and she mentally cursed out the Phantoms for disconnecting her again.

When Maggie couldn’t reconnect to the Morphin’ Grid, she focused on the fact she was likely on a ship in orbit. Last time she had been in space, they hadn’t even tried to reconnect to the Grid. The distance would take time and effort to compensate for.

Beyond the force field keeping Maggie in the cell, she could see Alex. It was taking three Cogs to hold her on her knees while Prince Gasket monologued in front of her. Maggie could only guess it was a monologue since Alex was rolling her eyes; no sound penetrated the force field. Maggie knew Alex had to be terrified. No longer on a planet and without powers was pretty much a Ranger’s worst nightmare.

Maggie startled when a Cog’s face appeared in front of her. A moment later, the force field was down, and she was being dragged out of the cell. Maggie didn’t hesitate to swing and knock the Cog away from her. Her knuckles instantly started to bleed from the impact.

“You are a human with no power here,” Prince Gasket said as three more Cogs swarmed Maggie. “What do you hope to accomplish?”

Maggie shrugged as best she could. “Mostly I just want to piss you off.”

He laughed. “You wish for my attention in hopes I stop hurting your new teammate. I am not blind to the ways of heroes, human.”

Something in Maggie grated at being called “human” instead of “Ranger.”

“He’s trying to convince me to join his army,” Alex said, sounding bored.

Maggie scoffed. “His entire army was in that warehouse.”

“Which is probably why he needs a Ranger.”

Maggie found her throat being squeezed by Prince Gasket. He got in her face, laser red eyes locking onto hers. “Your mind was so easily molded the last time we met. I can only imagine how her mind will melt under my power.”

“She’s one of us,” Maggie said when he loosened his hold. “She’s stronger than you’ll ever be.”

The bond between her and Alex sparked to life. It was precisely what Maggie was waiting for. One Ranger, alone and far from their Zeo Crystal, would have a difficult time finding their powers. Two Rangers? Who loved each other and had already been through hell and back without superpowers?

They were going to be unstoppable.

Maggie kicked Prince Gasket away from her. “Alex, focus on me! Focus on us! We can still morph!”

Prince Gasket didn’t have time to stand up before he had two full-fledged Rangers tossing Cogs all over his ship’s brig.

The Phantoms were quicker.

* * *

 

Alex registered the Phantom in her face before she registered the pain. Even then, her armor melted away before Alex really felt the blade in her rib cage. The part of her mind that spent years in medical school panicked at the sight of the bloody dagger being pulled from her side.

“Alex!”

She looked away from the Phantom and saw Maggie. And it was Maggie, not the Green Ranger. Except… Maggie wasn’t scared.

Maggie was furious.

The Phantom behind Maggie was thrown not by any limb. Dark green light seeped out of Maggie and slammed the Phantom into Prince Gasket. A moment later, Maggie had replaced the Phantom in front of Alex.

“Alex, babe, I’m so sorry.” Maggie was oh so carefully taking Alex’s weight. She was so gentle laying Alex down. “Don’t worry, we’re getting out of here.”

“M’cold.”

“I know. Gimme jus-”

Prince Gasket started to cackle.

Rage wiped off the worry on Maggie’s face. Her eyes glowed green, and there was nothing familiar about the woman in front of Alex.

“I can save her,” Prince Gasket said as he approached. “For the smallest of prices.”

“Close your eyes, Alex,” Maggie ordered. “You’ll be home when you open them.”

Except Alex couldn’t close her eyes. She didn’t dare. This wasn’t Maggie, though it looked and sorta sounded like her. This wasn’t even the Green Ranger, who had wanted to free Alex from White Martian mind control.

Wow, that had been such a long time ago. And yet, not really.

Maggie stood up and turned to face Prince Gasket.

“Maggie.” Alex barely had her attention. “Maggie, can we just go? I’m cold.” She was dying, Alex knew that much. Too much blood loss on top of too much stress.

Green light flooded Alex’s vision.

* * *

 

The smell of ozone and the raised hair on her arms were all the warning Trini had before a flash of green light announced Maggie’s return. Trini was off the bed in an instant. Alex’s entire left side was a wet red splotch.

Maggie was gone in another moment.

“Fuck!” Trini grabbed the tools she needed from the shelf that opened up at the head of Alex’s bed. “Jase! I need blood!”

“On it!”

Trini poured the wound sealant into Alex’s exposed ribcage. “Everyone is alive,” she told the shivering, pale woman in front of her. “Your sister is cleaning up the mess of Cogs in National City.”

“Maggie?”

Trini grimaced. “We’ve got her back.”

Jason got the needle into Alex’s wrist, and the ship started to replenish every fluid that was currently draining out of Alex. “I’ll take the others after Maggie.”

“Hurry,” Trini ordered. When he was gone, she locked eyes with Alex. “Breathe slow, breathe deep. You’re gonna live, but getting there is gonna suck.”

Alex held her gaze, nodded slowly, and began to do as she was told. Trini ignored the fact she couldn’t feel Alex through the Grid. After Alex’s body had been healed, then Trini could heal her soul.

* * *

Kimberly remembered when Jason told her and Trini to sit on Maggie after the Warstar Empire attacked. She remembered his reasons, texted to her while Maggie told him all her worries. It was something they, as a team minus Maggie, had discussed when it became apparent Alex and Maggie would tear down their own emotional walls for each other.

One day, someone was going to hurt Alex. On that day, Maggie would reach a whole new level of rage.

“Oh, that’s a lot of robots,” Billy said when they landed between the army and their hometown.

“Billy, you and me are going to get our Zords and smash these guys,” Jason said, wasting no time with hand to hand combat in the face of an invasion force. “Kim, go.”

Kim ran full tilt at the black and green suit of armor tearing Cogs apart.

Kim’s own moral compass had been spun once. All of them had experienced a kind of evil and tried to hurt each other with their powers. Maggie though, Maggie was different. At seventeen, Maggie had been exposed to the full force of a sixty-five-millennia-old hatred. It left its mark, for all Maggie was as much a hero as any of them.

“Trini, as soon as Alex is stable, put her in Maggie's path,” Kim said. “Do whatever you can, and do it fast.”

Kim had been hoping against all hope that Alex would ground Maggie in a way none of them could. But now, watching Maggie tear through an army of Cogs marching on Angel Grove, Kim knew Alex just sent Maggie to greater heights. If Trini couldn’t save Alex’s life, Kim had a feeling Maggie would never return to them.


	11. Chapter 11

“I can fight!”

Sometimes, Trini wished Alex and Maggie weren’t perfect for each other. “You LITERALLY flatlined ten seconds ago!”

“I feel better now!” Alex was already pushing herself upright.

Trini hopped on the bed and sat on Alex’s legs, grabbing her shoulders. “You were stabbed in the heart! You died! Even for one of us, that’s a big deal! So I need to you stay still, shut up, and fucking process because you’re no use to Maggie or the world going out there half-cocked!”

Alex glared at her. There was a moment Trini was almost certain she was going to be thrown to the floor. But Alex did the unexpected and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Trini could feel Alex reach out through the Morphin’ Grid and slowly find the team.

“Maggie’s not Maggie.” Alex didn’t sound afraid or confused. Trini was grateful because Alex couldn’t afford to have doubts about a teammate.

“No, Maggie is currently lost in the mess that consumes Green Rangers in the Milky Way. We’ll get her out, we always do. But we have to deal with Gasket first.”

Alex nodded. “What’s the plan?”

Alpha came racing into the infirmary. “The two of you need to get into your Zords! Now!”

Trini watched the fierce joy erupt on Alex’s face. Oh, yeah, this was gonna get far crazier before it got better.

*

Alex kept pace with Trini as she raced through the ship and into the cave system. Their armor erupted over them as they leaped over The Pit. Trini pulled ahead for a moment, leading the way up a rock wall.

Alex laid eyes on the Zords, and her breath caught. They were magnificent; shiny metal, smooth joints, and a presence that made her both safe and powerful. The Black Mastodon, however, was dormant. There was no glow to its eyes, and it didn’t seem to breathe like the others.

Including Maggie’s tall, sharp Dragon Zord.

Trini jumped into the cockpit of her Saber Tooth Tiger. “Yours is back there!”

Alex looked into the pitch black hole in the wall beyond the Mastodon and Dragon Zords. “What?”

“Different coin, different Ranger, different Zord.” The hatch to cockpit slid shut, and Trini was out of the cave a moment later.

Alex jogged the last few yards to the patch of darkness. Something in her chest bloomed. Two purple eyes blinked into existence. Gears turned, and a hot breath of air washed over her, kicking up some dust. The ground trembled just a hint as her Zord stepped forward.

Slim as Trini’s Tiger, but no less intimidating. A sharp beak and four sets of claws refracted light in bright silver. Wings stretched from the body, filling the available space. The black frame was untouched by battle and dust.

The Griffin Zord.

Zack might just have to fight her to get his place on the team back.

Alex leaped up into the cockpit and settled into the chair. She felt the Zord connect to a port in the back of her armor, anchoring her in place. The hatch closed above the cockpit, and the displays lit up. Alex didn’t know what all the readings meant right away, but instinct told her she was ready to go. Two handles popped out and floated for a moment. Her hands reached out on autopilot.

Oh, now she was really connected.

Alex tilted the tops of the handles forward, aiming for the hole in the mountainside. The Griffin folded its wings and headed outside.

“How do I fly this thing?” Alex asked over the comms.

“Jump,” came Kim’s oh-so-helpful reply.

Alex shrugged. At the lip of the hole, she pushed the Zord into a jump. The wings spread, and Alex was airborne.

The size of the invasion army made her stomach churn. Prince Gasket towered over it all. Alex took note of the green and black figure between the Cogs and Angel Grove. Then she headed straight for Prince Gasket’s face.

“Of course you would go for the head shot,” Jason said over the comms. “Just keep in mind, he’s not going to be easy to knock down.”

“Brace for impact,” Alex murmured. “Got it.”

Alex could still feel the way gravity pulled at her as she swooped in, but it wasn’t as strong as she thought it should be. Her Zord gave a battle cry, and she almost joined in the yell. Prince Gasket raised an arm to defend himself. Alex could practically feel the Zord’s talons heat up in preparation for digging into metal.

Trini whooped. “Make him bleed, Alex!”

The impact jolted her only a little. The sound of tearing metal was the best thing she had heard since being resuscitated.

“Perfect,” Jason said, his glee and pride obvious. “Now, get over here so we can show him just how badly he fucked up by coming back to Earth.”

Alex turned the Griffin and headed for the assembling team. She caught sight of her fiancé on the other side of the field.

Along with the three Phantoms.

“Maggie!”

*

Maggie shoved Kim away from her when Prince Gasket grew to massive proportions. Her friend only hesitated for a moment before calling her Pterodactyl Zord. Maggie aimed herself in the direction of Angel Grove to take over the advancing line of Cogs now that Billy wasn’t able to smash them. She could hold the line while the others put Prince Gasket in the ground. As much as Maggie herself wanted to use her Dragon to rip his limbs off him, she needed to protect the town.

She had barely protected Alex. The team would likely do a better job at this point.

A different kind of screech filled the air. Maggie looked to see a magnificent Griffin fly towards Prince Gasket head on. Bright metal claws dug into a raised arm as Alex swooped over him. The tears in Prince Gasket’s body gave Maggie so many kinds of satisfaction.

Maggie had just reached the Cog nearest to the town when a bolt of energy twisted around her. The armor around her stuttered but didn’t fade away. She turned to look at the clearly stunned trio of Phantoms. She didn’t bother with her useless blade blaster. She charged at them.

The Phantoms weren’t expecting her to attempt a physical attack. Nor were they expecting it to work. Behind Maggie’s punch was the rage of every betrayed Green Ranger who used the coin before her. The Phantom she hit didn’t get back up.

One Phantom engaged Maggie while the other backed off to continue shooting at her.

“Maggie! Get away from them!”

“Call the Dragon Zord!”

“Maggie!” Alex was worried.

Maggie hated how worried Alex sounded. It was her fault Alex was even here. Maggie couldn’t do her job, the one thing she had well and truly been entrusted with: Protect Earth. She chose Alex over the Zeo Crystal. She wasn’t strong enough to stop the Phantoms from hurting Zack. She dragged her fiancé into a war of vengeance.

Maggie slammed the second Phantom into the ground, cracking the torso and helmet of his armor.

Maggie had no place with her team or with Alex.

The third Phantom tried to put Cogs between himself and Maggie.

She bowled the robots over as she ran for him. She ignored the way his blasts made her bones ache and her ears ring. She ignored her team’s demands that she save herself. This was all happening because of her failure. There was no way she would stop now.

Maggie caught up to the third Phantom as her blade blaster filled her hand.

The Megazord's sword cut through Prince Gasket’s energy core.

Maggie rammed her blade into the chest plate of the last Phantom.  
  
The Cog’s dropped as their connection to Prince Gasket was lost.

The deadman switch in the Phantom was triggered as Maggie pulled her blade out.

An explosion of foul energy ripped out of the corpse of the Phantom, triggering the traps in the other two Phantoms.

In such close proximity to three blasts, where only one was enough to disconnect a whole Ranger team, Maggie felt her heart stutter. Her armor snapped out of existence. The muted bond to her team vanished. The low hum of the Zeo Crystal faded from the depths of her soul.

As Maggie crumpled to the ground, she watched her Power Coin turn from bright green glass to solid, black stone.


	12. Chapter 12

Kara landed on the ledge where she had spoken to Alex and Maggie just the day before. Beyond the cliff, she could see Angel Grove. The only evidence of a battle was the upturned earth. There were no bodies, no spilled oil, no spare parts. The Power Rangers had learned, after Rita’s attack, to keep their fights outside the small town.

Kara wished she could do the same for National City.

There was a hum a moment before a pink shaft of lightning landed beside her. Kara faced Kim before the Ranger was solid. “Where are Alex and Maggie?”

“They’re alive,” Kim told her, reaching out a hand.

“Your tone says “barely,” Kara said, taking Kim’s hand.

“We need to land in the entrance of the ship so you can be recorded as a guest and not an intruder.”

One moment, Kara was outside. The next, she was inside. Her skin tingled from the teleportation. The stairwell was dim but lit up as Kim led her up to the entrance hall of the ship. Kara barely noticed the various portholes that led to different parts of the ship. All that mattered was getting to Alex and Maggie.

The room Kim brought her to had a pixelated wall. A cloud glowed in the center, where Maggie lay. Alex was sitting on the edge of the hole, holding Maggie’s head in her lap. Maggie was so pale and still that Kara had to focus to hear her heartbeat. Kara knelt behind Alex and wrapped her in a hug. Alex took a deep, shaking breath.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked, voice hoarse.

“Me? Alex… Not even a scratch, promise. Talk to me, please?”

“Maggie, she…” Alex ducked her head and gathered herself. “The Phantoms had a deadman switch. One was enough to disconnect an entire team. Three of them were right next to Maggie.”

Kara squeezed her sister harder. She could feel Alex shake. Looking around, Kara wondered if the team really did win if this was the price.

Jason was sitting cross-legged on a platform across the way, head in his hands. Kim had taken a seat on the stairs next to Trini. Zack was laying on a platform still encased in his armor. Billy was pacing along the rippling wall, frowning down at a tablet.

This didn’t look like a team that had won anything at all.

The wall rippled into a face as beams of colored light started to rain into the room. Kara stood and planted herself between her sister and the newcomers. The team was standing but had looks of surprise instead of fear or anger.

“What’s all this, Andros?” Jason asked after twenty-five other Rangers settled around the room.

“The Mirinoi, Aquitian, and Corinth Rangers are going to escort the Phantoms to Eltar,” Andros said as he approached Jason and squeezed his shoulder.

“The High Council has decided all who call themselves Phantom Rangers hold themselves against everything the Morphing Grid stands for,” Leo said. He looked around the room. “They are to be killed on sight.”

Trini scoffed. “Maggie only had to die to force the decision.”

Kara felt Alex flinch and could hear the way her heartbeat doubled for a moment.

“Believe me,” Karone said as she sat next to Alex, “they’re going to regret being slow to decide such matters.” She moved some hair off her ear, revealing a small piece of technology attached to her temple.

“Whoa, uh, is that what I think it is?” Billy asked, staring at Karone with awe.

Karone shrugged, offering her hand to Alex. “My Psycho Rangers are going to wipe out all trace of Gasket from existence.” There was a cold, hard edge to her voice. Kara saw the others gulp at the implication and Karone’s attitude.

Alex held Karone’s gaze for a moment before nodding once and taking her hand. “Thank you.”

“I’m only sorry I didn’t do this sooner.”

Jason ran a hand through his hair. “I guess I’ll show you to the brig.”

“You stay here with your team,” Aurico said. “We can handle it.”

Jason nodded and thanked him, settling back on his platform. The three teams left, leaving the Kerovan and Mars Rangers with the Earth team.

M’gann stood next to Alex and Kara, looking down at Maggie. “Mars will deal with any threats that enter the solar system for the time being.” She looked at Jason. “Recover your strength, and we will learn our own.”

Kara gave in to her urge to hug M’gann after getting a slight nod of permission. “Thank you.”

The rest of the Earth team thanked the Mars Rangers before they teleported away.

Zhane put his arms around Trini and Kim. “Have you at least had some water? Nevermind, you’re all too focused on Maggie. Be right back.”

Kara watched him leave, confused but relieved someone was looking after her new friends. She settled on Alex’s other side and wrapped an arm around Alex’s shoulders.

Billy went back to his pacing. Andros sat next to Jason.

Alex sniffled. “Maggie was right.” She looked over at Karone. “You are in great shape.”

Karone blinked. Her laugh echoed through the room, and Kara buried her face in her sister’s shoulder. Maybe, just maybe, they would be okay.

*

Maggie was exhausted. She wondered why she was awake when she felt so worn out. Then her stomach rumbled. Oh. Okay. Fair enough. Now, if only she could move to do something about her hunger. Damn, who kicked her ass so hard she-

Gasket. Phantoms. Alex.

“Alex-”

“I’m right here, Maggie.” Alex laced her fingers with Maggie’s. She sounded as tired as Maggie felt. “We’re in the med bay of the ship. Angel Grove is safe, and Gasket is gone.”

“Gasket is more than gone,” Karone said, sitting on the bed next to Maggie’s knees. “I sent the Psycho Rangers after him.”

Okay, that was terrifying to consider. Maggie managed to get her hand up to her eyes to rub at them. “I feel like shit.”

Alex’s grip tightened, but she didn’t say anything. Maggie could feel the worry crawl up her throat. She started to shift up.

“Why are you like this?” Trini demanded as she and Alex helped Maggie up. “Every single time you decide to sit right the fuck up instead of resting.”

Alex slid in behind Maggie to help prop her up. “See, we’re perfect for each other.”

Trini rolled her eyes and leaned against the side of the bed. “I’m so glad I didn’t have to deal with both of you in high school. Might have been enough to drive me straight.”

Karone snorted. “Not even your aim is straight.”

“I’m not that bad,” Trini protested.

Maggie knew something was wrong. She didn’t feel right. Something was missing… “So. What news is so bad that it takes my fiance and two ex-girlfriends to tell me?” It wasn’t Zack. Maggie knew it wasn’t him.

Alex wrapped her arms around Maggie. Trini took one of Maggie’s hands, and Karone’s fingers curled around Maggie’s shin.

“What do you remember of the fight?” Trini asked.

“Besides the fact I went “Hulk smash” on everything?” Maggie sighed. “Killing the Phantoms was a bad move, cause that-”

Her coin. Her connection.

Maggie used her free hand to dig into her pockets. Alex caught her scrambling hands with one of her own. Maggie felt something heavy and smooth pressed against her palm. The chill made her shiver.

The Green Power Coin no longer existed.

Maggie stared at the piece of solid black glass. She knew it was her coin. She recognized the chips and rough patches. Something in her was yearning for the connection to the Grid and her team.

Except, well, if it was gone…

Maggie’s vision went blurry as tears fell from her eyes. Alex tightened her grip from behind. Trini sat on the bed and wrapped Maggie in a hug. Karone was saying something, her hand soothing up and down Maggie’s shin. Maggie couldn’t hear her.

It didn’t matter. Her powers were gone. She wasn’t a Power Ranger anymore. The world was saved, but it was her fault it was ever in any danger to begin with. If she had just done her job from the start…

The exhaustion crept up on her. Maggie let the darkness seep in and knock her out again. She wasn’t hungry, anyway.

~

There was a time when Alex would’ve given Maggie space. Watching the way the other Rangers hovered, however, told her that sticking around was their norm. After moving Maggie into her room on the ship, the team tossed a bunch of pillows and blankets in the corner of the room and settled in to eat another meal at Zhane’s insistence. The Karovan Rangers hung out in the Grid Room to keep an eye on Zack and give the Earth team some space.

Alex constantly found herself snug between Trini and Kim. They were adamant that Maggie wasn’t their only concern. Even though Alex was a temporary teammate, they weren’t going to treat her as a lesser Ranger. And, well, it was nice to have someone in her corner when Kara couldn’t be around.

It was well into the second night after the battle when Alex was woken by someone in the room. She rolled over, not too worried considering the number of alarms that would go off if there was an intruder.

“Sorry, Alex.” Billy’s subdued voice barely carried through the room.

“Don’ worry about it.” Alex sat up and motioned Billy over to the pillow fort. He flopped into it, and she settled against a wall. “Did Zordon finally cut your access to the systems?”

Billy shook his head. “No. He didn’t need to.” The recessed lighting in the floor made him look far more tired than he probably was. “I can’t figure this out. I’ve collaborated with every Ranger I can get in touch with who knows how the Grid ticks. We’ve run over a hundred simulations and crunched more data in the last two days than I’ve done in the last two years. We don’t have a way of reconnecting Maggie to the Grid.”

Alex’s chest ached. She knew it would devastate Maggie further. “Will being unconnected hurt her?”

Billy shook his head. “She’ll be fine. Well, you know, physically, atomically. The forced separation is keeping her down, but once her body settles, she won’t be in any pain.”

“But she’s been a Power Ranger for over a decade.” Alex sighed. “And quitting wasn’t her choice.”

“Yeah.” Billy picked at one of the pillows. “I’m sorry, Alex. I wish I could do this, but there’s no record, no power in this universe-”

“Billy, no.”

They both looked to the bed. Alex was halfway up, but Maggie was waving her down as she stumbled over. She collapsed against Alex and reached out to hook a pinky with one of Billy’s.

“This isn’t on you to fix,” Maggie said, her voice groggy with sleep.

Billy dug around and found a water bottle. He handed it over and said, “But you’re one of us, Mags. You deserve your powers-”

“Do I?”

Alex squeezed her. “Yes. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

“Alex, this whole mess is my fault.” She sighed. “If I had fought the Warstar Empire like I was supposed to, the Phantoms would never have come here. Prince Gasket wouldn’t have been able to get here as quickly.”

Billy shook his head. “Maggie, if you had fought with us, Alex would’ve…” He looked between them. “You’re more than just a Power Ranger. You deserve Alex and your powers and everything.”

“The only ones who are to blame are the Phantoms and Gasket.” Alex kept her voice steady and firm. She refused to dwell on the “what if’s” surrounding Maggie’s decision to stay in National City during the Warstar attack. “They’re the ones that hurt us, that judged you. In all your years of saving the world, you stayed out of one fight that was won despite that. This isn’t on you, either.”

Maggie shrugged.

Billy nudged her with his foot. “Do not make me wake up Kim and Trini. You KNOW it’s too early for coffee and do you remember the last time you spoke to Trini before coffee?”

“She shoved me out of an airlock.” Maggie was grinning fondly, so Alex decided not to worry too much.

“Do you want to get shoved out an airlock again?” Billy asked. “I’m sure Karone would LOVE to help them knock sense into you.”

Maggie’s grin faded, and she stared at Billy for a long minute. “But who am I if I’m not a Power Ranger?”

He smiled at her. “You’re Maggie Sawyer, one of the greatest people I’ve ever known.”

And the way Alex was holding her tight, pressing a kiss to her temple, Maggie wondered if maybe, just maybe, that would be enough.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -avoids posting magic fic for another day-

Maggie sat on the stairs with Alex while the others gathered around Zack. It’d been a week since Zack had been knocked out of the fight. Since Prince Gasket’s destruction, Maggie and Alex had taken a much-needed vacation. Most of it was to allow Maggie to adjust to life as a regular, unpowered human. Alex had stuck by her side. Not to say the rest of their friends hadn’t been around. Lucy made a point of coming around with tiramisu because, “Now I can finally get a decent share since you no longer have a black hole for a stomach.”

Alex called Lucy an asshole. Maggie just tried to eat far more than she should’ve.

Zordon and Alpha made sure to let both Maggie and Alex know they were always welcome on the ship. A Ranger, no matter their active status, was still a Ranger. Though the Dragon Zord no longer existed, the Griffin Zord would remain in a type of stasis once Alex no longer had active powers. Alex was relieved, but she couldn’t place why. Maggie was just pleased she could still use the Pit.

Maggie tried not to think about the Dragon Zord.

Zack’s armor sank into his skin, and a phantom tingle rippled over Maggie as her body recalled the feeling. He rubbed at his stomach. “I’m starving.”

Trini laughed. “That would be the first thing outta your mouth after being brained by a Phantom.”

“Hey, I’m alive and whole, so that means the worst is over.” He shoved himself up, legs dangling on either side of the platform. “No, seriously, I’m hungry.”

Alpha arrived with a tray of food. Zack praised him as the best friend a guy could have.

Maggie looked at Alex as her fiance sagged into her. “Okay?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah. Just...tired, all of a sudden.”

Maggie squeezed Alex tight for a moment. For the first time in a week, Alex’s shoulders gave a little under the pressure. Maggie felt weird about how good it felt.

“Mah-ie!” Zack called through a mouth full of food.

Maggie shook her head and stood, bringing Alex with her. “Are you finally done slacking?”

Zack laughed, then stopped. He narrowed his eyes at her. When she was in reach, his hand brushed the air in front of her. He focused on the others one by one. “Maggie?”

She shrugged. “The Phantoms didn’t kill me. But...next best thing.”

Zack twisted around to look at the number of platforms. “No. Fuck no. This is bull SHI-”

“Zack.” Maggie grabbed one of his fisted hands. “I’m alive. You’re alive. That’s what matters.”

Zack kept his eyes locked on hers for a long, long time. Maggie wondered if he was going to do the stupidly friendly thing of offering his coin. They all knew that wouldn’t work. That’s not how the powers worked. And, really, that’s not how they worked. Finally, he huffed. “Fine. But we’re still doing that 5k.”

“Well, yeah.” She nudged his shoulders. “I’m totally gonna prove that I don’t need superpowers to kick your ass.”

“Just a pretty lady cheering you on?” Zack said, winking at Alex.

“From the finish line, sure,” Alex said with a grin.

Zack slid the tray out away from him as an invite for the others to dig in. “Okay. So. Tell me everything.”

Kim sat at the end of his platform. “Well, first of all, Alex has been holding out on us this WHOLE time.”

Alex tossed a mini muffin at Kim’s head. “I’d known you guys were the Power Rangers for like a month!”

Maggie and Trini wrapped their arms around their girlfriends to prevent a food fight from breaking out.

A couple hours later, Alex and Maggie were back in Alex’s apartment. Maggie watched Alex sink into the couch.

“You okay?”

Alex nodded, holding an arm up in invitation. When Maggie was snuggled next to her, she said, “Being a Power Ranger is great, but I’m kinda glad Zack is healed.”

Maggie frowned. “I thought you’d want to find a way to keep your powers.”

“I will admit having an instant suit of armor would be useful.” She sighed. “Maggie, we died. I can’t… Watching Kara risk herself is more than I can handle some days. I know I could handle doing what’s necessary to save the world. But I don’t think I could handle watching you do it.”

Maggie hugged her tight. “Well, now you don’t have to worry about that.”

“What about you? I know you, Maggie, this is not something you’re just going to get over in a few days.”

“I think every other time I was at risk of losing my powers, all I had was being a Ranger. Even when I was with Emily, it felt like I would lose everything.” Maggie looked up at Alex. “But now I have you.”

“And you always will.”

Maggie gave her a quick kiss. “Sap. I have you, I have our friends, and my career is pretty stable despite losing half my cases to the F.B.I.-”

“Those are joint cases, thank you, and you still get credit for them.”

“And I will miss it. I’ll wish I was there the next time the team goes out. Being in the Dragon Zord made me feel unstoppable. But I only lost my powers. Nothing else is gone.”

“I guess retirement isn’t so bad when I’m around, huh?”

Maggie rolled her eyes and dug her fingers into Alex’s ribs. Yeah, being a Ranger was important. But Alex had already shown her superpowers weren’t needed to save the world.

~

Lucy signed the last of the forms with a flourish. “By the power vested in me-”

“Keep it up, and you are NOT officiating the wedding,” Alex muttered.

Lucy flipped her off. “Detective Sawyer, you are now the official DEO-NCPD liaison.”

Jack raised a finger before the celebrating could begin. “That doesn’t mean you get to steal my best detective whenever you want, Danvers. I can only handle so much of Sheppard’s moping when you abscond with his partner.”

Alex nodded, trying not to grin. “Yes, sir.” She bit her lip. “What if I steal both of them?”

“Ah! Don’t you dare!” He glared at her. “I’ll sic Carter on you.”

Alex stiffened, and Maggie shook her head as she handed him his copies of the agreement. “I’ll be at the precinct tomorrow, sir, I promise.”

He nodded with faux regality. “See that you are, Sawyer.” He headed for the elevator after shaking J’onn’s hand and wishing him luck with the new amount of paperwork the alliance was going to create.

Winn presented Maggie’s new badge with a flourish. “No more agent escort for you.”

Maggie snagged the new I.D. and thanked him before clipping into place. “Does this mean I don’t have to steal other badges to get into the armory?”

J’onn sighed and shook his head as he walked away.

A few hours later, once the boys were gone and the celebration dinner had died down to more of a happy snacking, Maggie couldn’t help but feel completely and utterly satisfied. She had a fiance that accepted the darkest parts of her, friends both Ranger and civilian that knew of each other, and a career that was only getting better. Maybe Maggie didn’t have fancy soul-born armor or a massive Zord, but the Morphin’ Grid hadn’t chosen her for those things. Maggie wasn’t a Ranger because she was good in a fight.

Maggie was a Power Ranger because she wanted to save the world.

She could still do that. It would just be on a more one on one level.

“I just have one question,” Vasquez said after Kim and Trini’s latest story ended. “Why dinosaurs?”

Kara wiggled in her seat. “I know this one! Zords take the form of the strongest creatures on the planet.”

Kim nodded. “And at the time our Zords were formed, those creatures were dinosaurs.”

“Okay, great.” Vasquez looked around at all of them. “But griffins and dragons were never dinosaurs.”

Maggie grinned. “No, they aren’t. But that’s because our Zords weren’t formed sixty-five-million-years ago.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. You aren’t saying what I think you’re saying...are you?”

“Every ancient civilization has a kind of dragon myth,” Maggie pointed out. “How do you think entirely different cultures have the same idea unless it wasn’t somehow real?”

Trini, Kim, and Maggie were grinning like fiends while the other four stared at them with dropped jaws.

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yeah, Kara?”

“Can we go find a dragon?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....don't ask me how s3 is going okay?  <.< >.>


End file.
